PMD One Wish (Reboot)
by TastyNachos
Summary: When Cass wakes up as a Shinx, he is thrust into a world of Explorers, Pokemon villages, and danger. Read as Cass attempts to find the reason he became a Pokemon and develop battling skills as a certain sinister other-worldly dragon prepares his final move. This is the rebooted version! It is highly suggested that you read this one instead of the old one!
1. Chapter 1

**PMD One Wish (Reboot) Chapter 1: A Rude Awakening**

Cass was laying in the soft, earthy ground. He gradually regaining his consciousness. Cass felt dizzier than a Spinda. He could hear muffled voices ringing out near him. He couldn't quite make out what exactly they were saying. All he could muster from the conversing duo was that one was female and one was male. They sounded around his age.

"Who is that?"

"Hm. Look's like a Shinx."

Cass felt the grass to his body, swishing around slightly in the light zephyr. A vibe of peace was sent throughout Cass's body, as if this place was an old previous home of his. However, as his mind slowly returned, he felt another sensation, this one not so delightful: pain. The voices suddenly adapted a worried tone. Cass could now somewhat make out their words.

"Is he okay?"

"I would assume not. Look, he has a gash on his hind leg."

"Oh my Arceus!" A gash? That did not sound too pleasant. Cass attempted to slowly open the eyes on his grimacing face. He lifted up his body slightly with his arms. Wait a minute, why would they say "hind legs?" Cass pondered this question and it just seemed rather redundant to add "hind" to describe his legs."

Then Cass felt strange. It was as if the body he was currently inhabiting wasn't even his own. He tried to grip the ground it his pain, but his hands didn't feel the same.

At last, Cass managed to open his eyes, revealing a scene entirely unexpected. He was staring down at blue, furry paws. They reminded him of a Shinx. He had never seen one in his home region of Hoenn, but he happened to be familiar with them. An electric type, if he wasn't mistaken.

If Cass wasn't freaked out before, he certainly was now. Through proprioception, Cass could conclude that the paws and legs belonged to him. But that didn't make any since.

"We need to do something!" This was the final phrase Cass heard spoken before passing out again.

Cass woke up on a rather soft surface, his hind leg in bandages. He slowly opened his eyes once more. He was laying on his side, a Sylveon in front of him, wearing a... nurses cap? Cass's leg twitched in pain. "Hold still," ordered the Sylveon. Cass jolted upward, then immediately fell back to his previous position, as he couldn't maintain his weight with his injury.

"H-how are you talking!?" Cass yelled. The Sylveon then pressed one of her ribbon-like feelers against his forehead.

"Huh... You do not seem to have a fever... Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not alright! What the heck is going on?" Then it hit Cass. "No... I'm... a Shinx?" He did his best to refrain from shedding a tear.

"I think you may need some form of mental examination testing. I cannot picture how a hind leg injury could effect your neural state." There was a sudden knock on the door. "Hm?" The door opened softly, revealing a Fennekin and a Riolu. "Oh, you two. I will allow you to enter, but no one else, please. I'm ordered to only authorize two Pokemon per patient.

The two Pokemon hared toward Cass's bed. The Fennekin was the first to speak, possessing the female voice. "Are you alright?" Cass was still shocked that he could understand them. He still heard the same form of speech as he had from Pokemon back where he was, except he could somehow interpret the meaning in which they were conveying.

"Um... no?"

"What is that band on your foreleg?" The Riolu inquired.

"Huh?" Cass's focus shifted to his left ar- leg. His previous despair morphed like a ditto into curiosity. He was wearing a band with a sort of hollow, transparent half-sphere on it, containing some kind of glistening crystal. "Odd. I don't remember how I got this."

"If you don't, then do you happen to know how you received your injury?" said the Riolu.

"No."

"Hm. Then could the band possibly have something to do with the injury?"

"Huh. I haven't thought of that. How would you know to ask if I knew how I got the damage?"

"Alright!" exclaimed the nurse. "Time's up. May I ask you kindly to leave?" The two Pokemon left without question. The nurse turned back towards Cass. "You, mister, should get some rest. A good sleep and you'll be ready to leave tomorrow.

After a few hours of pondering what exactly had happened that day, Cass involuntarily fell asleep due to exhaustion.

Darkness. Cass stood in an empty space, entirely void of anything besides black. He looked down and couldn't see his own body. Cass had, previous to that night, never had any dreams even closely resembling this. He called out. He didn't receive a response.

Cass woke up the next day. The nurse wasn't in the room. He took more time to think. Was he really a Pokemon now? Where was he? He had a feeling the answer wasn't Hoenn. Wait... What was Hoenn like again? What was it like!? Cass found that could only remember scraps of his life previously, one of his few memories being that he lived in Hoenn and that he was... or had been a human.

The Sylveon nurse entered. "Here, eat this, and you should be good to go." She handed Cass what he recognized as a Sitrus Berry. Cass munched it down in seconds. "Hungry?" the nurse chuckled. Then, all of a sudden, her expression shifted to that of someone being very serious. "Look, some complications have arisen. We have no information on you. You couldn't be identified as a citizen of the Temporal Village. Do you know what this means?"

"No?"

"It means that you are either an outsider or illegally residing here."

"I-I'm an outsider, I guess."

"It shouldn't be too difficult to be registered as a citizen. I just need a photo of you and information and take it up to Meganium."

"Meganium?"

"The leader of the village. I am surprised you wouldn't know her yet. I mean, she's the leader of one of the two strongest villages." Cass contemplated whether or not he should tell the nurse that he wasn't from around here, and used to be a human while she mumbled a few things while looking at a sheet, jotting things down with a pen in her feeler. "Male... Hey, what's you're name again?"

"Cass."

"Alright, now to take your photo. Come with me."

Cass fell off the bed, not helping his still healing, but almost finished, leg. He attempted to take another step further but once again fell to the floor. "Oh come on, it shouldn't hurt much anymore," the nurse stated. Cass wanted so badly to tell her that the wasn't the reason, but decided to keep it to himself. After a few more pathetic attempts to take a step, the Sylveon nurse just grabbed him in her feelers and walked to a room with a camera. "I'm beginning to wonder whether or not you should stay here longer."

The room was simply white with a camera towards the end, positioned to where there was an even space between both walls on its sides. There was a white sheet facing the camera. The room reminded him of photography places back in Hoenn. He wasn't really thinking about that, however. He was distracted with being annoyed from the constant color white in this building.

The mildly irritated Sylveon slowly descended Cass to the floor and moved over to the camera. She used her feelers to press a button. There was a quick flash of a bright light, and it was over. "Alright, we're going to have to get you registered. Think you can walk now?" Cass took a step forward. Great progress so far. He put his other front paw in front of him. He slipped and fell onto his stomach. "Alright, I guess not." She grabbed him with her feelers once more and walked out of the building.

The air outside was brimming with warmth. No, not the temperature. It felt to Cass like he was home, except he wasn't. Was he? Cass saw Tepig dancing, Hoppip skipping, and Pawniard dueling as he was carried through the lively village. As Cass turned his head to face the opposite direction, I found a face staring back at him. It was the face of a wise-looking Alakazam. The psychic-type wore a curious expression on his face. Cass was blushing of embarrassment. Thank Arceus for fur. Huh. He never thought he would ever say that.

Eventually, the Sylveon and Cass had arrived at the registration building. It seemed like a simple wooden building. They entered. There was a Meinshao at the registration desk. The nurse dropped him down on a chair while she went up and submitted some data. Cass wondered how the Sylveon was able to do this. She probably had a busy schedule at her career. Huh, this place must have worked differently.

Cass waited for nearly two hours. He decided to use the time to examine his body further. The absence of thumbs was most likely what had gotten to him the most. He was also mystified by the band on his... front leg. The crystal contained within it emanated a very strange vibe, one of which was indescribable.

Was he going to be a Shinx, permanently? What was his family doing? How would they react if they saw him like this? Who WERE his family? He held back his tears. Now was not the time to be having these thoughts.

Suddenly, a quadruped green Pokemon appeared from behind an entrance behind the desk, which was facing the right side. The Pokemon turned her head. "Greetings, I am Meganium. I'm you have heard of me, as I have heard much about you." She had? How? That was the question on Cass's mind at that moment.

After a brief moment of deep thought, Cass was called out by the nurse. "Be respectful! This is the leader if our village, in which we take pride in!"

"S-sorry. Hello," Cass greeted.

"I come to welcome you to the Temporal Village, Cass." Wait! _How does she know my name?,_ thought Cass.

"Th-thanks." Meganium's grin grew slightly, almost as if she had read his mind. Unfortunately, Meganium decided to brush off the question entirely. "Do you happen to have anywhere to go after this?"

"N-no-"

The nurse interrupted. "A few Pokemon volunteered to help him with that." This left Cass to wonder for a moment: _Who?_ "A Fennekin and a Riolu, if I am not mistaken. They are watched over by an adult Chatot, I believe." Oh, them.

"My name's Skyler, and this is Vince," stated the Fennekin as she, Cass, and Vince were walking down the streets of the village, heading home. By walking, for Cass that meant being carried by Vince, the Riolu, over his shoulder. Vince didn't look very ecstatic about that. By now, it was dark out. "Sorry for not mentioning earlier."

"That's alright!" Cass replied. As soon as he had said that, he saw a Gliscor running off-road in the corner of his eye. Cass stopped and turned towards it, as did Skyler and Vince. It was carrying a white bag.

"What a load I got today!" said the Gliscor, obviously not noticing the trio standing there. A Hitmonlee dropped in front of it from seemingly nowhere, wearing a yellow scarf.

"Stop right there!" He shouted before kicking the Gliscor in the stomach, it loosing it's grip on the bag.

"Wow, Knock Off!" exclaimed Skyler.

"Hm." was Vince's reaction.

The Hitmonlee kicked mud into the Gliscor's face, causing it to stumble around clumsily, blinded. The Hitmonlee followed up his attack by leaping high into the sky, above the buildings. He put his leg outward and slammed it against the Gliscor's head as gravity did its work, effectively knocking the apparent criminal out.

The Hitmonlee picked up the criminal with ease and seemed to just disappear from the scene all together with his great speed. "Who was that?" Cass inquired in wonder.

"An explorer," Skyler said vaguely.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Huh? You don't know?"

"Really?" Vince remarked.

"Um... No?"

"Are you sure didn't also hit your head?" Vince questioned.

"No, I didn't!"

"Then how come you don't know anything, not even how to walk? You're obviously not a kit."

"Guys... I have a confession to make." Suddenly, Cass decided that now would not be the time. Not when anyone would have the possibility of hearing him. "...Later."

"Huh?" Vince and Skyler said in unison. "Why later?" Vince continued.

"I don't want anyone else to hear."

"What kind of secret are you keeping?!"

"I'll tell you when we get... home," Cass replied.

The three Pokemon stood just outside the door of a somewhat run-down one story home with one window. The door had its handle down nearly to the ground. Vince placed his paw on the handle and pushed it downwards, allowing him gently apply pressure onto the door, causing it to stay open. "Shh, Marcus may still be asleep," Vince warned. Cass wanted to ask who that was, but figured that now it was best to remain quiet.

When they had entered, the first room in which had been encountered was the silent living room. There was a green couch on the left side of the room. In the back of the room was a table. To the right was a bookshelf, containing possibly over a hundred books and mounds of knowledge. The room gave off a somewhat eerie vibe to Cass.

"Hello! Hello!" A Chatot appeared from another room, making Cass jump.

"Marcus," Skyler chuckled. "You know we're too old for you to scare us like that anymore."

"Is this the one you were talking about, about?" the Chatot asked cheerfully.

"Yep."

"Okay. It's about time to go to bed, bed!" Cass was stunned at how Marcus accepted him in so easily. Vince picked him back up and carried him to the bedroom as Marcus stared in confusion. When they arrived at their destination, a room with three mats, Cass was eager to ask questions. Vince dropped him on one of the mats.

"Alright, I'll tell you my secret if you answer some things for me first."

"What kind of 'things'?" Vince said in reply.

"Why did you take me in without a second thought? Why are there already three mats in this room, instead of two? Wha-"

"Desmond," Vince interrupted.

"Huh?"

"Desmond. You see, some time before you came along, we had a friend, a Raltz, named Desmond. He used to live in this house with us. You remind me, no, us, of him. He was injured when I found him, and now I've discovered that you don't know how to walk yet, just like he didn't when I found him."

"What happened to him?"

"He was killed." The entire conversation ended there.

Cass did not sleep well that night.

Cass and Vince sat up on their mats in the morning. Skyler was off somewhere else. "Look," Vince said. "We have school tomorrow, so you're going to have to learn to walk." _Ugh,_ thought Cass. He had hoped that he at least wouldn't have to worry about school, being a Pokemon. As it turns out, he had absolutely nothing to look forward to.

"Wait... What day is it? Like, of the week?"

"Day 3."

"So... Tuesday?"

"Huh?" _So they use numbers for the days of the week,_ Cass thought. "How many days do we have school?"

"6 a moon." _So that must be a month,_ Cass decided.

"Oh."

"Let's get started," reminded Vince.

"Oh, right!" Cass replied.

"Stand." Cass rolled off of the mat, falling to the wooden floor on his back. He turned over onto his stomach. Cass attempted to lift himself up off of the floor, his four legs trembling. After trying for a moment, Cass managed to stay upright. "Good. Now, left front paw forward." Cass obeyed. "Right back paw forward." Cass began to move his paw. He felt himself lose balance, nearly falling over. He extended his paw further outward to the right, just barely correcting himself.

As this continued, the two began a conversation. "So... what's an Explorer?" Cass started.

"Hm. Still can't get over the fact that you don't know. You definitely have amnesia."

"At least you're right about one thing."

"That makes more sense." Cass refrained from explaining the rest at the moment. He wanted Skyler to be there to hear it. "All right, so an explorer belongs to a guild, in which the members take on missions of discovery or justice, such as finding a lost treasure or saving another Pokemon. Explorers form teams, each member wearing a scarf of the same color, corresponding with the team name, at least, that's how it works here in the Temporal Village. Other villages vary on the themes of names of the teams, which are called Rescue Teams, even though they don't _always_ rescue Pokemon." This was a lot to take in, especially added up with the realization that Cass was a Pokemon now. "Skyler, Desmond, and I used to be a rescue team. Team Green, to be exact.

"Wow, alright," said Cass. "But... where exactly am I?" Due to Cass's talking, he lost his concentration and fell over. "Ugh."

"The Temporal Village, Hikage region. One of the strongest and prosperous villages. Enemies with the Spacial Village. Now that I've given you information, can you provide some for me? What was your secret you mentioned earlier?" Cass realized that he wouldn't be able to delay it any longer.

"I'm... a human." Vince's jaw dropped to the center of the planet. Skyler happened to walk in at that exact moment. "Well, I used to be. I have no idea what happened..."

"Are you okay?" Skyler walked over and placed a paw on Cass's forehead. Cass could feel warmth emanating from her body. "You must've hit your head or something."

"No! I swear-" For a moment, Cass questioned himself internally. What if he had hit his head? No, that would be ridiculous! He had obviously been a human... Right?

Cass was lying once more on his mat after a long day. He had learned how to walk in a wobbly fashion, constantly falling. At least it was a major improvement from before.

He lay contemplating the current state of his life. Had he been a human? Had he not? Surprisingly, this had not mattered to him most out of everything. He was more interested in becoming an explorer.

 **This chapter may or may not still be a WIP! Comment below if something seems off or bad, so that I can correct it. Please post your constructive critism if you have the time. Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

**PMD One Wish (Reboot) Chapter 2: The Solo Explorer**

A sinister appearing Weavile stood before a towering figure. The figure was that of godly power. Inside the realm in which they stood, the laws of time and space where different to that of the dimension we know and love. The atmosphere emanated a vibe of mystery and despair. There were masses of dirt an other unknown minerals floating in the purple empty space.

"Have you completed the task in which I have issued to you?" The figure's voice boomed with power and death.

"N-no, my lor-"

"What are you waiting for, Peregrine? Leave my... home and retrieve the crystal!"

"Y-yes, sir!" The ice-type reached out his arm to tear open a portal, creating a rift in the dimension, allowing him to exit.

Cass, never having seen the school before, marveled at the mere sight of it. It might just have been the largest building in the village! He took note of the observation that about half of the students wore scarves, the sign of an explorer. On the downside, many Pokemon passing by gave him strange looks. Who could blame them? Cass was tripping over his own feet every few paces. He probably appeared to be the biggest loser there.

Luckily, Cass would be able to join the school without much issue, as it was expected that every member of the village go to this one school. He would not be questioned for entering without acquiring permission and would be allowed to do so, as he had been informed earlier by Skyler. He wasn't even required to enroll.

Cass turned his attention over to the leather pouch hanging to his right side. He wanted to open it and remove his daily schedule from his bag, but contemplated a way to do so in his quadruped form. He lowered his head, the strap sliding off. So far so good. He then attempted to pry open the button-like circular clasp with his paws, looking like a complete doofus in the process. If he could, he would be sweating from all the pressure. Cass was sure people, or Pokemon, rather, were staring at him. He eventually managed to open the bag, but it fell backwards along with Cass, it's contents spilling all over the ground.

Cass finally took notice of his surroundings. Hardly anybody was still out. _Shoot,_ Cass thought. _I'm going to be late for class!_ He then noticed that there was a group of four Pokemon. One, an Abra, was pointing. The Abra and the other three were all chuckling mean-spiritedly. Cass rolled back up to his hind legs and stared at the ground in defeat.

"Um... hey."

"Huh?" Cass turned around to find a nervous-looking grey, furry face. Cass identified it as that of a Minccino. At least Cass seemed to be able to remember the names of Pokemon species.

"Hi," the Minccino greeted, gripping the white fur surrounding her neck with her small paw. "I can help you clean up." She immediately fell to the floor and began cleaning. "I suppose this is what you needed?" she said, dropping Cass's schedule in front of him.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"You look like a new student."

"Oh, right. Heh, heh." Cass replied, rubbing his paw behind his head.

"What was that?" The Minccino inquired, curiously.

"What was what?"

"What you just did with your paw." Cass removed his paw from behind his head and eyed it. Oh. That must be a human thing or something, thought Cass.

"Oh, nothing. Haha."

"Um... Okay. So, what's your name?"

"Cass."

"Aiko. Nice to meet you. What is this?" Aiko held up a note towards Cass. It read: _Hey, hey, Cass! Hope you have an easy time at school, school! Best wishes, goodbye bye! -Marcus_

"Guh!" Cass quickly swiped the note out of Aiko's hand. Wow. Why, Marcus?

By now, everything was placed once more into the bag. The bag was sealed. Aiko lifted the bag with her paw nand placed it back over Cass's head an shoulder. "There you go."

"Thanks. Oh? What's that?!" Cass's mouth gaped.

"W-what is it?"

"You're an explorer?" Cass had noticed the white scarf around Aiko's neck.

"Yeah... What about it?"

"N-nothing. See ya later!" Cass sped off towards the school.

Cass's first class was rather mundane, aside from his introduction to the class. It was battle calculations class. He had no friends in that particular class.

Next was history, in which he shared with Skyler. He was fascinated by the Rhydon teacher, Mr. Boulder's ramblings. "A long while ago, when the region was first formed, two villages were born with a purpose: the Temporal Village and the Spacial Village. You see, to legendary beings, Dialga and Palkia, would fight against each other for honor and their father's eternal respect. However, this proved to be dangerous to the stability of the universe, as Dialga represents time and Palkia represents space. This led to the creation of the two strongest villages in the Hikage region. The brothers could combat each other without threatening our dimension itself. Today the two villages are in a state of somewhat hostile rivalry, not quite war."

Another student raised their... blade. "I heard that there was a third brother. What about him?"

"We... don't talk about him." Mr. Boulder replied grimly. Then the bell rang. "Alright, class dismissed!"

As Cass walked down the halls as the day progressed, he realized that it had been gradually becoming less of a struggle. After another class, it was time for lunch. Upon entering the cafeteria, Cass noticed just how huge it was. The room was also decorated with beautiful vines across the walls.

After a struggle of deciding what to eat, Cass settled on Belue berry soup. He could've sworn he saw toxic sludge and literal iron balls, so he decided that he had made a good choice. Thankfully, the school had Pokemon who's jobs were to carry food for those that couldn't. A Machoke filled this role for Cass. Cass was actually somewhat worried, as it seemed as though the Machoke would accidentally smash the bowl to shards, the soup spilling out all over the floor. Thankfully, the Machoke didn't as Cass made his way to the table in which Skyler and Vince ate at, the Machoke (surprisingly) gently set down the soup. He gave Cass a wave as he returned to his previous position next to the food purchase area. Cass gave a slight smile at his accomplishment of not falling over and looking like a fool.

Vince and Skyler were chatting with three other Pokemon, all of which wore a blue scarf. The trio consisted of a female Buizel, male Timburr, and female Lampent. "So then," the Timburr says, "I was like 'BAM!' and they were like 'AHH!' and then I-" He was interrupted by the lampent smacking him in the back. The Timburr turned his head and exclaimed, "Claire, I was talking here! I just thought they would enjoy the story about the time I took on THREE LEGENDARIES at ONCE!"

"Shut up, Nelson," the Buizel commanded, irritated. "Anyway, who's this new guy you were just talking about?" she inquired, turning towards Cass. Cass was suddenly struck with a surge of stress. What if Vince and Skyler revealed his secret.

"We found him injured in the fields just outside of the village," Vince answered. "He seems to have experienced some degree of memory loss." _Oh no,_ Cass thought. _What if this is where my secret comes out?_ "Marcus and Skyler and I decided to take him in, as he has nowhere to go. He's apparently not from this village, so I question the reason he was able to become a citizen so easily. Perhaps Meganium saw something in him." Cass let out a sigh of relief. However, he then realized that he _was_ let stay surprisingly easily. Did... Meganium... Know? Nah, that couldn't have been the case. That still wouldn't make any since.

"Alright," the Buizel replied happily. "I guess we should introduce ourselves. I'm Kelsie."

"I'm awesome," the Timburr stated. He then received a death glare from the Lampent. "I-I mean Nelson! Yeah... Nelson."

"This is Claire," the Buizel continued, pointing towards the Lampent. Cass wondered why Kelsie introduced Claire instead of herself. Come to think about it, Claire hadn't spoken at all up to that point. Perhaps she was just really shy.

After a bit more chatting, the bell rang. "Bye!" Kelsie shouted back as the young Pokemon each traveled their seperate ways.

The class following was very... interesting. "WELCOME TO BATTLE CLASS!" shouted the teacher, a Houndoom. He was all the way across the the room, which was the size of a basketball gym. The floor was made of dirt. There were metal bleachers to the sides. "ALL OF YOU! OVER HERE, NOW!"

All of the other Pokemon took off, darting towards the teacher a top speeds. Cass, however, took a moment to realize what was going on. After he finally understood, he gave his best attempt at running, falling over a few times. He felt embarrassment wash over him once more. When Cass finally reached the teacher, exhausted, he noticed that the teacher had a scar across one eye.

"A new student, I see. Hah! How pathetic can you be to take this long just to simply reach me?! This is a real treat." Cass gulped. The teacher was intimidating, to say the least. "Anyway, my name is Ajax. Who are you?"

"C-Cass, sir."

"Ha." Ajax turned his head to face the rest of the class. "Today we will be doing basic battle pairings. Allow me to list them off." Ajax went on, giving out all of the battle match ups. However, what caught Cass off-guard was his opponent. "Cass and Vince," Ajax continued.

Cass stood before Vince, a good distance away from anyone else in the class. "Well," Vince started. "You going to attack or what?" Cass turned his head to find that Ajax was watching. Cass had no idea how to battle. However, he would have to give it a try. Ajax kind of scared him, and he didn't want to just prove Ajax's point: that Cass was pathetic and weak.

Cass dug his back paw into the ground before charging towards Vince. It seemed as though Cass was getting the hang of moving, and going faster. However, as soon as he reached Vince, he had no idea how to attack and began to slow down, before falling in front of Vince. Cass just couldn't do it. He lowered his face to the ground in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.

"Hey," Cass heared in his ear.

"Huh?" he looked up to discover that Vince was kneeling down next to him.

"I know how you feel. How about I let you get a good hit on me, or at least have you appear to have. I know how... strict Ajax can be."

"B-but... I don't know how to use a single move." Suddenly, Vince pulled his palm backwards and then thrust it towards Cass. Cass narrowly dodged the Force Palm, only to be kicked in the underbelly. He flopped backwards in mild pain. "V-Vince..." Cass got back up and dashed towards Vince. Vince mirrored Cass. Vince readied his fist. He went for some kind of punch, only to miss. Cass landed his tackle.

"H-hey... I used an attack..." Cass rejoiced internally for a short moment before getting off of Vince to find him out cold. "Wh-What!? I didn't know I was that strong..." Cass turned toward Ajax, who squinted with a slight smile. Ajax began to move towards Cass. When he finally reached him, he began talking.

"Heh. Very clever of Vince. Very clever." This got Cass curious. What had Vince done? "Using Final Gambit and purposefully missing, knocking himself out to make it look like you did the job." Cass' heart sank. He _hadn't_ actually won with his own skill. "He must really care for you. It's nice to see that in students." Did Vince _actually care?_ What if he actually intended to win, but goofed up? It wouldn't make since for Vince to care that much, at least at this point.

Eventually class ended. Cass had a few more uninteresting classes before the final bell eventually rang. As Cass headed for the exit, he thought about his current situation and found it rather amusing, even with the little background of his past he had. He had become a Pokemon living in an intelligent society, now participating in a school with other talking Pokemon.

Cass exited the building, catching up to Skyler and Vince. He took notice that Vince had come to and now appeared to be in decent condition. "Hey, it looks like you can walk with more ease now," Skyler noted.

"Thanks, I guess," Cass replied. "But you just wait, some day I'll get as strong as a guild leader," Cass blurted out without thinking much. _No, I can't think like that!_ Cass told himself in his mind, _I have to go back to being human!_ He turned to Vince, finding a shocked expression. Vince then noticed that Cass was staring at him.

"Pathetic," Vince uttered. Cass was shocked by the sudden one-eighty turn-around. "Hm. So naive," Vince continued. The walk back continued in silence.

That is, until suddenly, when they reached an area with nobody around, there was a flash of orange and black in an X formation. Dust rose from the ground. When it finally cleared, two Pokemon became visible in front of the trio. They were Mawhiles, both giving the group death glares while having malicious grins. One had orange eyes, one had purple eyes.

"Heh. Brother, these ones seem easy, don't they?" The one with the orange eyes inquired.

"Yeah, they seem pretty weak, sister," The purple-eyed one responded.

"Who are you?" Vince questioned.

"We have no time for interviews," the orange eye sister answered, "Brother. Let's just take out these weaklings."

"Well said, sister. I agree." The brother raised his arms up, conjuring rough boulders above, aiming primarily at Skyler. The Fennekin managed to dodge most of the rocks, only to be hit by the final super-effective boulder from the Rock Slide.

Vince charged towards the brother, readying a Force Palm, only to be hit out of the way by the sister, who had use Strength. Cass wanted desperately to do something, but wasn't powerful enough. Nevertheless, he dashed at the sister and leaped at her to use a tackle. She simply jabbed him in the stomach with her darkened fist, using Sucker Punch. Cass fell to the ground, his stomach in pain.

"This is actually very amusing, huh, brother?" The sister chuckled.

"Indeed," The brother chuckled back.

"I'll ask... you... again," Vince slowly rose to his feet. "Who... are you?"

"Someone worth fearing," the sister replied with a chuckle. She inched towards Vince, her back mouth ready to use Crunch. All of a sudden, her feet were rapped around with vines, which pulled back, causing her to trip onto her face. Everybody turned to the person who had just used Grass Knot.

"An explorer?!" shouted the brother.

"A solo explorer?!" shouted Skyler.

"Aiko?!" shouted Cass.


	3. Chapter 3

**PMD One Wish (Reboot) Chapter 3: Final Chance**

"Wait... solo explorer?!" Cass shouted in confusion as Aiko jumped up and spun facing down, penetrating the ground, using Dig.

"Only the elite are allowed the role of solo explorer," Vince replied. "They each wear white scarves." The brother Mawhile threw his fist forward in a dynamic punch, only for Aiko to knock him into the ground with Pound.

Vince rushed into action, using Force Palm on the sister, who was paralyzed with disbelief of seeing _Minccino_ of all Pokemon as a powerful solo explorer.

Suddenly, loud footsteps inched closer. Cass looked up to see a Magmortar. The fire-type had a sense of burning intimidation in his presence. He wore a white scarf on his neck, much like Aiko, signifying his position as a solo explorer. "You four. Fennekin, Minccino, Shinx, Riolu. Get out of here. These two are scum from Team Mist."

"Team Mist?" Vince inquired.

"I told you to get out of here! If you defy my orders, I will not be afraid to wipe you out as well!" Without another word, the group quickly evacuated from the area.

"Who was that?" Cass asked.

"Daichi," Aiko replied. "H-he's arguably the strongest explorer not only in his guild, but in Temporal Village. They say he's never been seen losing a fight, and that he never seems to lose energy while fighting."

"Wow," Cass's eyes lit up in wonder.

"Cass," said Vince.

"Yeah?"

"You know her?" Vince was referring to Aiko.

"Um, yeah, she helped me this morning."

Cass felt a sudden rush of heat as the ground shook. He turned his head back to see a massive explosion, a blur of red. "Wow," he murmured.

"Hm. I rarely see a crime two days in a row," Vince changed the subject.

"Huh," Cass replied.

"Well, I-I better get going!" Aiko called, waving her paw and walking in another direction until she was out of sight.

"Does anyone want to stop anywhere before we return home?" Skyler asked. "There's a cheap restaurant near by that opened recently... Ekans's, I believe?"

"That sounds correct. Let's go," Vince responded. They walked, Skyler leading the way, to Ekans's. Once they got to the cheap-looking restaurant, they instantly took notice of the sign on the wooden door. It read: _"closed."_ However, next to the window laid on the inside a sign leaning against it that read: _"Open 24/7."_

"Huh? Why is it closed now?" Vince inquired.

"I don't know..." Skyler replied. "I guess we should just head back home."

"We're back!" Skyler called as Vince opened the door to the house.

"Come quick, quick!" Marcus shouted. The three ran towards him, Cass tripping once. _Dang, just when I thought I had finally gotten it down,_ Cass thought. "Check out the newspaper, paper!" Cass just now realized that he hadn't recognized the language that had been written, yet could read it. Somehow, he hadn't noticed during school. He just... kind of... went with it without noticing. As if he had already been familiar with it, even though he hadn't.

"No way..." Vince reacted. The paper brought the grim news that the Temporal Village prison had a major jailbreak, releasing nearly all previous criminals.

" _It is recommended that all are accompanied by an explorer or high authority while outside in the open. That being said, new explorers are needed. Visit your local explorer guild for extended details."_

Cass's heart began to beat faster. He rotated his head to find that Vince was shaking. Not with fear, however, as it appeared. Cass wondered what this was about. "Finally..." Vince muttered. "Finally... another chance..."

"Another chance to what?" Cass questioned. Vince was visibly gritting his teeth. Sure, somewhat out of rage, but it appeared to have some other feeling behind it.

"Another chance to bash that fool's head in!"

"Vince, are you alright, alright?" said Marcus worryingly.

"Skyler... Cass... Come on."

"Oh?" Skyler got out before she and Cass were dragged by Vince.

When they finally exited, Marcus spoke up. "And they say I'm the weird one, one."

"Where are we going?" asked Cass.

"The Soaring Articuno."

"Huh? What's that?"

"An explorer guild." The moment Vince mentioned this, Cass's eyes lit up with wonder, only to fall back into confusion.

"Why the spiteful tone?" Cass replied.

"This will be my last chance... to finally beat the one who killed Desmond personally!" Cass finally understood.

"Vince..." said Skyler. "You shouldn't be like this." Vince stopped and paused his walking. He let go of Skyler and Cass's paws. He then proceeded to slowly turn around.

"I can be like I want! If only you got it! If only you were THERE, AT THE SCENE! IF ONLY YOU KNEW DESMOND AS WELL AS I DID! HE WAS LIKE FAMILY TO ME, THE LAST I WOULD EVER HAVE!" Vince shouted at the top of his lungs. He then began to pant heavily. He turned to Cass. "You wanted to become an explorer anyway, correct?"

"Y-yeah."

"Right. Then let's go. Skyler, you can remain back at home if you wish. I'm going to become an explorer, no matter what it takes, for the sole purpose of defeating that foul Pokemon."

"V-Vince..."

"Come on, Cass." Cass hesitated before starting to walk alongside Vince, leaving Skyler behind. They walked for about twenty minutes in silence before they finally reached it. The building had a sign above the double-doors that had a picture of an Articuno soaring above the clouds. The guild hall had a generally old-timey vibe. The two entered through the door.

Immediately upon entry, Cass noticed that two Pokemon were fighting, a Gabite and... the Hitmonlee from yesterday. The Gabite lashed out at the Hitmonlee with a dragon claw, missing him by about a centimeter before he jumped back. The Hitmonlee then proceeded to leap almost to the ceiling in a High Jump Kick. The Gabite barely dodged it, the Hitmonlee's foot crashing into the floor, leaving damage in the wooden floor.

"What... Why isn't anybody reacting to this?" Cass questioned. Vince simply ignored him and continued on, heading for the door labeled _"Guild Leader's Room"_ slantedin red paint."Huh? Vince?" Cass caught up to Vince, whom still hadn't acknowledged him.

"Hey! Vince! Cass!" a voice called from the other side of the hall. It was Nelson, who was with the other two members of Team Blue at a circular wooden table. Silence from Vince.

"Heeeeey," Cass replied awkwardly, not truly knowing what to do in the present situation.

When Vince finally reached the door, he knocked on it with his blue paw. A muffled "Come in!" was heard. Vince opened the door, nearly slamming it against the wall with enough strength to break it off of its hinges. "Oh, you! I recall having you here! Hmm... Vince, no?" The owner of this voice was an Alakazam, who was sitting, or, levitating rather, over a chair next to a fancy looking desk. The thing was, however, that he hadn't even turned around to see Cass and Vince.

"What?" Cass spurted out in utter confusion.

"Alexander."

"So, you remember me, eh?" The Alakazam, Alexander, replied.

"It's common manners to look at someone you greet."

"Right, right, my bad!" Alexander turned around, still levitating, somehow rotating the chair along with him. "How was your day."

"You know what I'm here for."

"You wish to become an explorer once more?"

"Yes. And you are aware of my intentions."

"I suppose so. Who's this that you brought with you?"

"Skyler and I found him just outside the village."

"You and Skyler, eh? Where is she?"

"Back home."

"She's not joining you?"

"No." There was a brief silence. Vince looked down and to the side slightly. "But I don't blame her. She just doesn't understand." There was another moment of silence.

"I see," Alexander replied. "You do realize that nearly seventy percent of all the criminals who have escaped have already been recaptured or killed, right?" Both Vince and Cass were stunned in shock. How could this be?! The prison break was just today!

"It can't be," Vince replied. Alexander gave a small chuckle.

"Daichi took care of around sixty-three percent of them." The two Pokemon gasped. _No way,_ Cass thought. _That has gotta be impossible! Is Daichi really that powerful?! Is it even possible to ever reach that level?!_ "While I don't particularly agree with his methods, Daichi sure does get the job done," Alexander chuckled.

"This is now time for laughs!" Vince shouted, ready to attack Alexander.

"Right, right. I know what you want. I'll inform you that no, who you're looking for hasn't been taken care of yet."

"Prove to me that you know who I want."

"Marla Fumes, Combusken." Cass could observe Vince receiving a surge of anger, sadness, and pain all at once as soon as Alexander mentioned the name. "She hasn't been caught yet. However, she has been spotted by a villager exiting the village. I'll fill you in on the whole story.

There was a mix of red and yellow running through the village at high speeds. This blotch of red and yellow happened to be Marla Fumes, the one responsible for the death of Desmond. She wore a sly, egotistical smirk as she darted through the village. _I wonder why master wouldn't lend me his power to escape into his realm while I was in prison,_ She thought. Then Marla realized why. _No... It couldn't be... Has he deemed me unworthy for being too weak as to being caught? Bah. It's not like I need that ancient fool anyway._ Marla finally reached the gates, the edge of the village.

"HALT! shouted one guard who was on the outside. There were two of them, blocked the entrance with their spears. From their arms, heads, and partial torsos, Marla could tell that they were Bisharp. Marla swiftly slid under the spears and hopped up, kicking one in the head, knocking him down, launching towards the other, and proceeded to do the same with her Double Kick.

The Combusken then ran off into the distance, reaching the forest, where the guards lost sight of her. "Dang kids..." one of them muttered.

"That wasn't a child," the second Bisharp said, rubbing his head.

"Poe-tay-toe, poe-tah-toe."

"So that's what happened..." Vince muttered.

"Tell you what," said Alexander in an upbeat tone. "If you complete the job of capturing Marla, I'll officially allow you to become an explorer once more."

"I mostly just want to finish Marla myself, but I'll become an explorer... if... if..."

"Yes?"

"If that is what Cass wants." Cass's eyes lit up once more. Vince didn't seem like that bad of a Pokemon.

"Here, take this. You'll need it." Vince took the item, then let Cass see it. It was a card that read _"Gate pass, handed to by guild leader."_

When Cass and Vince exited the room, most of the guild members had left, including Team Blue Only very few remained. They were about to exit through the door when they were interrupted by a certain Minccino. "H-hey! Cass! I saw that you went into Alexander's room..." She began poking her two paws together nervously. "A-are you becoming an explorer?"

"You waited all this time, until most explorers have already left, just to ask this?" Cass said in a deadpan.

"I-I guess so..." She looked at the floor.

"Alright then!"

"Huh? W-what a sudden shift..."

"You betcha I am! I'll pass Alexander's challenge for sure!"

"Heh, h-he does like issuing challenges before allowing Pokemon to become explorers."

"Cass." Vince said coldly. Cass looked to find that Vince had not turned even a bit, he was still directly facing the wall. "We have to go. We cannot spare any time."

"O-okay," Cass replied. "Bye, Aiko!"

"S-see ya later!" They finally exited the door, to find Skyler on the other side.

"Oh?" Vince responded to the situation. Skyler was giving a light _smile,_ of all things.

"Who's going to keep you from being reckless, huh?"

"Hm. So you finally decide to tag along."

"Of course I do, silly!" Vince's mood began lightening slightly.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?," Vince replied. "Let's go."

After gathering supplies in a bag back at home, they exited through the gates, to be met by two Bisharp. "Hey, YOU!" one of them shouted. "WE ARE NOT LETTING ANOTHER CRIMINAL ESCAPE!"

"Calm down, George. What if they have a pass?"

"SHUT UP, BOB!" The first Bisharp, apparently named George, continued to shout. Cass did his best to hold back the laughter from the fact that the guards looked so intimidating but had some of the least intimidating names possible.

Bob sighed. "Look, guys, if you have a card, just let me see it." Vince obliged, handing him the pass. "Thank you! Now put it back in your bag for later. Have a good journey!"

The trio trekked into the forest, beginning their very first adventure as a team, the future uncertain.


	4. Chapter 4

**PMD One Wish Chapter 4 (Reboot): Burning Passion**

Cass, Skyler, and Vince had begun their journey into the forest. "This is called the Celestial Forest," Skyler suddenly mentioned, facing Cass with a smile.

"Oh?" Cass responded.

"They say that the stars at night get prettier and more plentiful the closer to the middle of the forest you are."

"Oh." Vince stopped in his tracks.

"We should set up camp here. It'll be late soon enough."

"I'll find us some berries!" Skyler announced, running out of sight while looking back."

"Got it. Cass."

"Huh?" Cass replied.

"You and I are going to find some wood for a campfire."

"Wait, how am I supposed to pick it up?!"

"We will roll it. That, and you can pick up smaller sticks with your mouth." Cass grimaced at the thought.

"Eww..."

"Hm. Deal with it. It's not that bad, you know. I don't quite understand where you're coming from." Cass wanted to argue, but decided otherwise. He wanted to become an explorer, and this is what he has to deal with? Picking up sticks with his mouth? Man, what a drag.

"...Fine." Cass let it go. Vince traveled a short distance to a nearby tree. He drew his hand backwards, palm facing outward. He then struck the tree with a Force Palm. It made a slight dent in the brown, rough wood of the early-developing tree. He then faced his paw towards himself and stared at it for a brief moment. He then turn to Cass.

"What are you waiting for?" He asked.

"Uh, what do I do?"

"Attack a tree. It's not difficult."

"I can't use any moves and you know it."

"Then learn them. You want to be an explorer, correct?" Cass's eyes lit up slightly.

"Yeah! I'll try..." Cass exclaimed. Vince gave a slight smirk and turn back to the tree. He then prepared his palms. He then unleashed a series of rapid Force Palms, the tree taking more and more damage with each hit. Finally, the tree began to fall towards Vince, who swiftly dodged out of the way. The tree landed with a loud rumble. The impact caused Cass to jump slightly. He had been reading a Tackle, hoping it would work, but the rumble had caused him to stop.

Vince looked down towards the fallen tree and continued to use Force Palm, splitting the tree apart. Vince panted for a moment slightly. He proceeded to turn towards Cass to see his progress. Cass dashed towards his target, feeling the wind blow through his fur. For a moment, he felt so alive. Was he finally doing it? Could this be the next step to becoming a powerful explorer. Cass focused hard on the tree, judging when to take the jump. This could be Cass's shining moment to prove to Vince that he was a capable fighter. Almost there... Just a few more steps... This was his chance! He took a mighty leap towards the tree, bearing an aggressive stance. This was it!

And... crash. Cass's head was smashed against the tree. He fell over, dazed. Vince rushed over to him, now visible in Cass's eyesight. "Did... I make it...?"

"Nope."

"Next time... I'll get it for sure..." Cass passed out, feeling ill with himself. Vince sighed.

Skyler searched through the woods, autumn leaves crumpling beneath her. The area was brimful with lush forest vegetation. Skyler traveled around, searching left and right, but to no avail. It was inching closer to the complete darkness of the night, in which she would be unable to see anything, so she knew she had to hasten a bit.

Eventually, Skyler came across a small tree of Oran berries. She swiped at it with Scratch a few times, causing it to fall over. She quickly plucked a dozen or two with her mouth softly and placed them into the adventure bag. Skyler turned around to be faced with a strange sight.

It was an elderly-looking Aerodactyl with a big grin. "Heya," he said enthusiastically.

"Uhh... Heya, heheh," Skyler replied awkwardly.

"What an interesting young lass! I've been lookin' for an adventurous kiddo like you!"

"Oh, really? Haha."

"You travelin' somewhere?"

"Uh, yeah!"

"Mind if I come?" Skyler had no idea how to feel about the present situation, and had no clue what to say. She didn't really want him too...

"Um, sure!" _What am I saying?!_ Skyler thought to herself.

"Why thank you! I'm glad to join you!"

"Thanks..." Skyler sighed silently. If only she could tell people "no." So far, she's met an amnesiac Shinx who claims he was previously a human and a crazy old Aerodactyl. What is next? A flying Weedle? An Eevee who can evolve into any form at will?

"Um... What brings you here to Celestial Forest?" Skyler asked, attempting to start small talk while picking berries and placing them in the bag.

"Nothin' in particular!" Grandpa Alfred shouted as a response.

"Oh," Skyler reacted.

"Except..."

"Yes?" Skyler had to say something, as Grandpa Alfred had kept her in suspense for about two minutes, never completing his sentence.

"Except for I'm searching for Celebi to turn back time, so that I can be young again! Ain't that neat?"

"Yeah..." Skyler stopped paying much mind to Grandpa Alfred's rambling, and focused on how finding Celebi could benefit her and her team. What if... Celebi could rewind to the point where Desmond were alive, and maybe, just maybe, they could prevent _it_ from happening.

No. That was just a far off fantasy.

Cass slowly opened his eyes, the darkness vertically disappearing, him finally coming to. He slowly rolled onto his abdomen and peered upwards. Cass slowly assumed an upright position, his head drooping down, though it required effort. His head was throbbing with pain.

"Awake?" He heard Skyler call. Cass raised his head, spotting a fire blazing in the slight distance, emitting a glow of red and yellow. He also saw Vince, Skyler, and...

"Who the heck is that?"

"Why, I'm Grandpa Alfred!" The cheerful ancient Pokemon spouted.

"What... the..." Cass was confused.

"Just don't ask," Vince replied. "I don't get it either." Skyler spoke next.

"Grandpa Alfred will be... um... joining us on our adventure!" she replied with some uncertainty and uneasiness, in which she seemed to be trying to conceal.

"Cass," Vince called.

"Yeah?" Cass replied.

"Have you suffered any more memory loss?"

"Hey, I haven't lost any memory! I know for sure I was-" Cass then noticed the look on Vince's face, causing him to halt his sentence and not continue. "Right..." He couldn't reveal his secrets. Not in front of another Pokemon. He had no idea how they would react, but judging by Vince's expression, it would probably be harshly.

"Alright!" Vince stood up and stretched his arms into the sky. "Cass. We're getting some training in before it gets too dark. Follow me."

"Jeez," Cass replied, slightly wincing. "Already?" He glanced towards Skyler, asking a silent question. Skyler simply sighed. Cass finally decided that going after Vince would be best.

Cass did his best to walk, eventually meeting Vince in an opening. There lay purple and golden flowers, rustling lightly in rhythm with the breeze. The sweet aroma emitted by the flowers encompassed the air. The pollen rode the wind, floating in the air. It was truly a magnificent sight to behold.

"Hm. You're late," Vince stated. He had his back coldly turned to Cass, facing the opposite direction.

"But I haven't even fully recov-"

"Shut up." Cass was caught off guard, Vince's words piercing straight through him, not unlike a metaphorical lance.

"W-wha-"

"I told you to shut up." Vince slightly turned his head and shoulder, revealing one cold eye, his gaze holding enough power to blow a hole straight through a durable tanker. "You don't understand." Cass gulped.

"If this was difficult for you..." Vince continued. The Riolu turned all the way around, a dark shadow cast across his face. "There is no hope that you will survive service as an explorer. In a real battle, you wouldn't last a minute. And that is just the physical damage. Do you realize what will come out of not only your inept fighting ability, but your mental state?! You'll end up like Desmond and I!"

Vince momentarily clenched his paw. He then released it and took a deep breath. He exhaled, releasing his negative emotions with his breath. "Cass."

"Y-yes?"

"Your training will not be easy, and you will likely sustain damage from it, possibly even long-term injuries." Cass gave it a brief thought, before finally coming to a decision.

"I'll do my best," Cass asserted, his eyes gleaming with determination. Cass had his mind set. Before he would return to humanity, he wanted, no, _wished,_ to become a strong explorer, who could take on any challenge.

"So be it," Vince replied. "I will start by causing you harm." Cass was taken aback for the slightest moment, before regaining his determination and nodding. "I will start hitting by you with rather weak attacks, and gradually increase the power. Your job is to endure my hits. I will not cease my attacks on your command. You lose when you fall unconscious, and await the following training session."

"Understood," Cass replied. Vince slowly approached him, preparing a light Force Palm. Vince drew back his arm ever so slightly, and gave Cass a feeble hit. Cass was sent back flying, his side smacking up against a tree. He let out a small shriek of agony.

When Cass's vision eventually steadied, he saw Vince approaching him once more. Cass could tell that the next attack would knock him out. He did his best to prepare to embrace it.

Cass felt the impact to his right, before thumping against another tree. This time, the pain was even greater. Blood was visible, trickling down Cass's side. He wanted greatly to be unconscious, and yet he wasn't. Cass tried to move, but to no avail. He then attempted to speak, failing miserably, as he could barely croak. Cass felt another surge of pain, twice as great as the previous one.

And suddenly, black.

Cass was in total darkness, much like he was during his sleep in the hospital. All of a sudden, a hand slowly emerged from the shadows. A _human_ hand. However, it wasn't long before the hand withdrew, leaving Cass with a sense of loneliness. Then the black faded to white, and Cass had returned to reality.

Cass studied his surroundings. He was back in the opening where Skyler and... um... Grandpa Alfred were. He felt the warmth of the now small flame, greatly contrasting the near gelid dream. Cass peered up into the night sky, viewing a sight that was extraordinary. The sky was clad with an immeasurable mount of beautiful stars. It contained an array of colors, ranging mostly between blue and green. Next to Cass, the other three Pokemon were fast asleep.

Cass felt like there was some deeper meaning. Then he realized it. The modest fire represented a burning passion, not yet fulfilled. The vast sky represented the journey it would take. The stars were the acquaintances to meet, the smaller challenges to face, and the adventures to be had.

Cass smiled before returning to his slumber.

Cass began to stir. He was feeling an odd sensation, that almost of weightlessness. He slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the sky, the stars replaced with harsh light. Cass swiftly shut his eyes, then gently opened them, squinting in order to adjust to the gleam of the unrelenting sun.

Something caught his attention towards the end of his peripheral vision. It was a tree. But not just a tree, for it was the top of one. It took Cass a brief moment to realize that he was in the air, being held by arms. He turned the other way, revealing a figure garbed in a dark brown cloak, the hood covering it's face.

"What?" Skyler called out.

"I don't know who you are, but what are you doing with Cass?!" Vince did the same.

"I'll retrieve the young'un!" Grandpa Alfred yelled, soaring after Cass's captor. The cloaked figure gave a deep chuckle. It threw it's arm out, stopping the Aerodactyl in his tracks, a faint purple glow around Grandpa Alfred, mimicking that which was around the figure himself.

"Well, friends, Master has been ordering us to locate the Shinx and retrieve his crystal," the figure spoke in a deep, intimidating voice.

"Friends? Why would I ever be friends with someone like you?!" Vince shouted, wishing to attack the cloaked one, but refraining from it in order to not risk hurting Cass . The figure merely let out another chuckle.

"However," the cloaked man continued, abstaining from a response to Vince's outburst, "I do not truly feel up to it. I honestly want to see how this Shinx, Cass, I believe, will grow. I see some of myself in him. Heh, maybe he'll even provide a decent challenge for me in the future." The man drifted down to the ground, apparently using Psychic on himself to levitate. He lowered Cass to the ground.

Cass immediately got up, surprised. Not just how at the figure let him go without harm, but also at how the other three Pokemon, even _Grandpa Alfred,_ stood up for him, despite haven't knowing him. It was the way of the explorer, Cass supposed. Teams have to look out for each other, No matter what, despite the circumstances.

"But," The hooded man continued, apparently not finished rambling. All of a sudden, the atmosphere temporarily grew dark and grim. "My fellow henchman will not show mercy, not hesitant to injure or kill any one of you to achieve their goals. Accept this as either a warning or a challenge, it is up to you. But be wary."

Suddenly, the figure disappeared via Teleport. The adventurous atmosphere returned and the team pressed on. Cass was uncertain to what crazy situations he would encounter as his journey to become a strong Explorer before he would return to his human life.


	5. Chapter 5

**PMD One Wish Chapter 5 (Reboot): Secret of the Void**

A Weavile stood in a dark forest but a day ago. He had recently put an end to his limited investigations in the Temporal Village. He had heard that there was a recent mass prison break. He had actually spotted the Shinx enter the forest, but he saw that the electric feline had two other Pokemon with him, both of which the Weavile recognized. However, he was somewhat afraid to attack them, not knowing their current strength. He would never tell anybody, especially Master, about this.

The Weavile put his claws up to his mouth and whistled. A shadow zipped past the trees above, before descending to eye level with the Weavile. It was now clear that the silhouette had been a Murkrow, although the Weavile already knew that. "Heh, you never fail me, Silo," the Weavile said, his voice reflecting his near unscrupulous nature.  
"You've failed master many times," the Murkrow replied with a somewhat snarky tone.

"Shut your trap! Anyway, I need you to carry this to Martha," the Weavile said, retrieving a piece of wood from off of the ground. The Murkrow studied it for a moment, seeing a message crudely scratched into the side.

"Martha? You mean that failure?"

"Ugh... Just locate her and give her the message, alright?"

"I'm not truly obligated to serve your commands," the Murkrow answered. The Weavile gave the Murkrow a glare. "But I'm so generous enough as to follow through," the Murkrow said sarcastically, grabbing hold of the piece of wood and taking off, leaving behind dark feathers that breezed past the Weavile's face.

"What a bother," the Weavile stated to nobody in particular.

 _Thud._ The Riolu's palm clashed with Cass's body, ending him backwards. However, class dug into the ground with his claws, maintaining his balanced position. Vince mouth formed a smile from across the opening. Cass returned one back to him.

It had been five days since the mysterious cloaked figure had appeared. Since then, Cass had been training hard. He had just endured Vince's seventh attack of the session. "Hm," Vince started, "It appears to be time to begin using stronger attacks. Survive up to twenty attacks, including the previous ones, and then I'll begin teaching you how to utilize moves." Cass did a mental hop of enthusiasm. However, this was not the time to physically do one. He had to focus on his current objective.

Before he could even register what had just happened, Cass suddenly felt an abrupt rush of pain in his torso. _What is this?_ Cass thought. Only a brief second ago, Vince had been standing in front of him.

Then Cass figured out what was going on. Vince was now right beside him, thrusting a blue fist that now appeared to be made of iron at Cass's body. The suffering was short-lived, yet great. Cass was knocked back, this time unable to regain his balance. "W-what... was that?" Cass stuttered.

"Bullet Punch. It's a steel-type move that allows me to throw a punch at speeds in which you would never be able to get an attack off on me first, or in your case, even dodge it." Vince readied a second Bullet Punch. Before Cass knew it, he was struck by another attack.

Vince had now thrown his eighteenth Bullet Punch, and Cass was struggling to remain conscious. He was now bleeding, more then he had in any previous session. One might say that this was cruel, but Cass understood that it would be what he would have to take in order to be closer to becoming a powerful explorer.

Cass then began to slowly but surely drift into unconsciousness. He attempted to fight it to the best of his ability. However, his effort was futile, as he went out cold once more. He had gotten used to it by now.

Cass was back in the empty void. He turned both ways, seeing nothing. Cass sighed. What was even the point of this place? Not even the hand was anywhere to be seen now. Cass simply waited a few minutes.

"Yo." A cute pink-furred creature appeared from the top of his vision, upside-down in front of his face. Cass jumped backward, the fur on his back spiking up violently. The chewing gum colored fur ball chuckled playfully. "I got you good, didn't I?"

"What... are y-" Cass suddenly realized what the Pokemon who faced him now was. It was no other then the legendary Pokemon, Mew. Mew adjusted to a normal levitating position and backed off slightly.  
m  
"Hahaha, let me properly introduce myself! I'm Mew, although you likely already knew that. I'm kinda a figure of legends," she spoke rather quickly. "Oh yeah! Also, this is Cass." Mew pointed behind her and somewhat to the left. Where she pointed, a... human appeared. However this wasn't just any human, it was...

"What the..." Cass had just remembered who this was, and was in utter shock at seeing his human self standing in front of him.

"Uh... Hi," the human Cass greeted.

"Isn't this great?!" Mew inquired. "We can finally all meet up!" Mew chuckled and swerved around in circles.

"What the heck is going on?!" Shinx Cass questioned to Mew.

"Alright, fine, I'll tell ya. If you can catch me first!" Mew sped of in the opposite direction, giggling all the way. However, she stopped when she noticed that nobody was chasing after her. She returned to her earlier position, sulking. "You guys are no fun."

Both Casses just gave Mew a glare. "Fine, fine! Basically, I split your soul and transported a half of it into a Pokemon. No biggie."

"You WHAT?!" the Casses shouted in unison.

"Arceus, you make things out to be such a big deal.

"What exactly are you even saying?!" the human Cass spoke. "And _how_ are you even saying it?! I thought that Pokemon couldn't speak! Same with apparently me over there!" He pointed to the Shinx Cass.

"All I'm saying is that he contains half of your soul. Also, other Cass and I are speaking to you because I created this pocket dimension, thus setting my own rules. In here, Pokemon and humans can intercommunicate. That wouldn't matter in my case though, as I could just use telepathy anyway."

"You can create POCKET DIMENSIONS?!" Shinx Cass spoke next.

"Well, duh. Arceus lends me a small portion of his power. I have limitations, though. This is most likely because he knows that I am a bit biased and might use the power to benefit my own cause, unlike himself."

"Your own cause? Which one?" the Shinx continued with the questioning.

"Hmm... Nope!"

"Nope?"

"I won't tell you!"

"Will you even tell us... I mean me... I mean us... I mean whatever, why you've done these soul shenanigans?"

"Nope!"

"Wow, you are difficult."

"I'll make it into a game!"

"Of course... you would..." The Casses moaned.

"Whoever discovers the reason first wins!"

"You don't even have a reason... do you?" the human Shinx asked.

"Hahaha, Nah, I actually do. I just want to have fun while I'm at it. Oh, right! One m more thing! If you want, I could enable a Soul Link."

"Soul Link?" the Casses tried to picture what exactly that might be.

"Essentially, you'll be able to contact each other if you focus hard enough, and can see each other when you both happen to be sleeping. Also, you-" Mew turned to Shinx Cass, "-will regain your memories."

Shinx Cass was ecstatic. He would finally remember his previous life as a human in full! "However!" Oh. There was a catch. "If one of you dies, both of you will. It's what happens when two people share different parts of the same soul, as they are linked. Got it?" Both Casses nodded. "You accept my proposition?" Human Cass found a kick out of realizing that this was like a contract, except with his very own _soul_ on the line.

Shinx Cass greatly wanted his memories back, and to stay updated on his current human life. Human Cass would be heavily interested in hearing about the interactions of Pokemon with each other, and how their lives would be similar and different. Also, he had met Mew before the Shinx version of himself, and she had informed him on the awesome life of an explorer.

Both of them nodded. "Alrighty then! I knew you would accept. Soul... Link!"

Shinx Cass's eyes widened for a brief moment as he stumbled backwards. His life had been flashing before his eyes, not unlike what they say happens before you die. He was overloaded with a mixed bag of emotions. He recalled moments of joy, anger, fear, excitement, sadness, and a seemingly infinite amount of other emotions. So many achievements, so many regrets. But what got to him the most were the memories of his friends and loved ones. He remembered a feeling that he had yet to truly feel since he became a Shinx. The feeling of missing somebody. Was this what Vince felt?

"Hey, other me," human Cass called.

"Huh?" Cass was shaken out of his world of being surrounded by memories.

"How about I call you S, for Shinx, and you call me H, for human? It only makes sense, because it would get awkward and possibly confusing if we just called each other 'Cass.'"

"Um... sure," S was somewhat uneasy, having remembered his life as a human, to be called something that blatantly acknowledged the fact that he wasn't human, but it seemed like the only good option at the moment.

"Alright!" Mew shouted, "Wakey-wakey time!" She clapped her paws together. Suddenly, Cass's eyes shot open, revealing the familiar scene next to the tree. He saw Vince towering above his head, looking down upon him. "Ready for more training?" Vince proposed.

"Already?" Cass replied. Before Vince could get out a word, Cass continued. "Of course I am!" He swiftly jumped to his paws, raring to go.

Cass grimaced. Only five more hits to go... Four... Three...

 _Come on,_ Cass told himself. _I can do this!_ Cass was once more struggling to stay conscious as he endured Vince's attacks. Two more... Cass was almost there. Vince no longer appeared to be teleporting, as Cass could, for a very short instant, spot Vince dashing towards him at mad speeds.

It was now down to one remaining attack. Timed seemed to slow while Vince neared closer and closer to Cass. This was the moment. This was the moment that Cass would finally pass Vince's test, after nearly a week.

The closer and closer Vince reached, the more Cass felt an ominous atmosphere grow. Some thing felt off. "Wait!" Cass wanted to call out. However, Vince would have reached him in shorter time.

Vince's paw was now a mere few centimeters away from Cass. Cass prepared the best he possibly could to embrace the in coming attack.

 _Crack._

Cass felt a searing pain as Vince's fist dug into his ribs. He fell over in pain, feeling nauseous. The world around Cass blurred, and then began to darken. He had only a light grasp on the current reality, but he could feel Vince lift him up over his shoulders.  
After a few agonizing moments, Cass realized that he was back at the site with Skyler and Grandpa Alfred. "Skyler!" Vince shouted.

"Right!" Skyler called back. She used her mouth to drag the exploration bag over to Vince. Vince reached into it and removed a small handful of Sitrus Berries.

"You sure we don't just need Oran berries? That's all the Sitrus berries we have," Skyler warned. Vince replied only with a quick glare, before turning back towards Cass.

"Take these." Vince held his paw out towards Cass, presenting to him the Sitrus Berries.

"No..." Cass managed to get out. "I don't want to waste your only Sitrus berries."

"DO AS I SAY!" Vince shouted at the top of his lungs, panting heavily afterword. After a moment, Cass silently accepted Vince's command and consumed the Sitrus berries.

Cass slowly felt the berries reinvigorate him. Not enough to start moving, but enough to save him from once more falling unconscious, and to mostly nullify the pain.

After everybody was somewhat calmed down, Grandpa Alfred broke the silence. "So... what's for dinner?" The other three simply ignored him and Vince began to speak.

"It seems like Cass has a broken rib. It should take three to four weeks to mostly heal." Cass's heart sank. Not only because we wouldn't be able to move or train, although that was a part of it. It was mostly because he had caused them all suffering, and was now about to hold them back from completing their task for multiple weeks.

Vince had been right. Cass truly was pathetic, he felt.

A Combusken known as Marla stood in her own section of the forest. A Murkrow swept down to her, completing a few spirals before eventually arriving beside her in the air, flapping to stay up. He held in his beak a chunk of wood.

Marla held out her claw, inviting the Murkrow to drop the wood. He did so. Marla examined the wood, noticing a message roughly carved into it.

 _I heard you finally escaped that prison. A mass prison break, right? It would've been so easy to just leave by yourself. Anyway, that's beside the point. I've got a treat for you! Those explorers you met all those years back, the ones that caused the commotion that sent you to jail, are now lose in the forest. They're with a Shinx who has a crystal that Master desires. This is the perfect opportunity to not only get revenge on the explorers, but to also regain Master's trust. I would advise that you accept this chance._

Marla crushed the wood with her claws. She released it, countless splinters amassing below. The Murkrow grinned.


	6. Chapter 6

**PMD One Wish Chapter 6 (Reboot): A Reason**

Cass remembered a time back home when he had a broken leg. He was treated with painkillers, halting the pain, for the most part. Here, in the middle of the forest, there was no such thing anywhere near Cass's presence. There were Oran and Sitrus berries, but the team hadn't moved much since Cass received his broken rib, and the berries were beginning to gradually become scarce, so they had to preserve what was left.

Cass was itching to get up and adventure further, but every time he tried he had been met with a sharp pain. Cass examined his surroundings. He was in the clearing, obviously. It seemed to be around five o'clock PM. He was next to a pile of scorched logs. Beside it was also Skyler. Grandpa Alfred was over in a corner, happily mumbling some nonsense. Cass remembered that Vince was alone somewhere nearby. He had been leaving to be on his own a lot lately. Cass had wondered what he was doing.

"Skyler?" Cass began.

"Yes?"

"Why did you become an explorer?" Cass had just then realized that he didn't really even have a good reason or conviction to become one. Sure, he for a while convinced himself that he would become strong through it, but now... He wasn't so sure.

"Me? Well..."

Skyler giggled her way back home. It was what had seemed like an average evening in the Temporal Village. The fresh scent of home was carried by the comforting breeze. She finally reached the door to her home, nudging it open. "I'm back!" She shouted. "Oh?" the younger Skyler had then realized that her parents weren't home.

Suddenly, Skyler felt a hand rest on her head. She jolted backward, hearing a hearty laugh from behind her. She turned around, revealing the amiable face of her father, a Scrafty. "Gotcha, didn't I?" He said playfully. He was possibly the kindest person Skyler knew.

"Hey!" Skyler replied, now wearing a grin. Her father rubbed her head gently. Skyler pouted. It always bugged her when he did that. He chuckled once more.

"A-hem," Skyler's mother called from behind her father. Skyler always admired the Delphox, for she was all of what Skyler aspired to be. Courageous, intelligent, and had a unparalleled sense of adventure. She seemed oddly a little more serious than usual that day.

"Heheh, right." Skyler's father appeared as if he was hiding something that he was supposed to get out, but couldn't bring himself to. Skyler was right. She had always been adept at reading other Pokemon, especially those she knew well.

"Uh... We're going to be leaving soon." Skyler's father said in an uncharacteristic tone. Skyler's face displayed confusion.

"Where're we going?" Skyler inquired.

"No, not you. Just us. We're going to be leaving you with Marcus." Skyler's face transformed into that of not just confusion, but also worry. Her father rubbed her head again, only this time not as enthusiastically. However, Skyler didn't even notice.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Skyler asked, a tear now rolling down her muzzle. Her father gave her an awkward type of chuckle. It was the kind of laughter somebody would give off to bring some light of a dark situation.

"Your mother and I are going off on an adventure; one that we may not return from. Now, I need you to be a goo-" The droplet across Skyler's face became a cascading river.

"Why?! Will I see you again?" Skyler almost yelled, trembling. Skyler's father sighed.

"Look. We-" He was interrupted by Skyler's mother, who had intervened the space between Skyler and her father.

"Skyler." Skyler ceased her tears and looked upward. Her mother turned to her father, who nodded before removing his green scarf and handing it to her mother. Her mother removed her own scarf as well. Skyler could see where this was going and looked downward, beginning to cry once more.

"Skyler." Skyler slowly managed to lock eyes with her mother, revealing her tear-stricken face. Her mother extended her arm, holding out the scarves. "Do not cry anymore. Become a brave and powerful explorer one day, and maybe, just maybe, you'll find us and see us again. Until then..."

The Delphox smiled, a sight that wasn't seen every day. "Stay strong."

Without an other word, Skyler's parents walked away, slowly vanishing into the distance while Skyler stood there. A few minutes later, it began to rain. That was when Skyler decided it was best to head over to Marcus's home.

Marcus was a great friend of Skyler's family. He was even on a team with her parents before retiring, so to not interfere with their love. He might've been quirky, but he was a good man.

"I want to find my parents," Skyler concluded. Cass blinked a few times.

"Oh." Suddenly, a sound could be heard coming from the bushes. Cass's ears moved instinctively towards the source of the noise, followed by his eyes. A figure slowly exited the shade shroud obscuring it from Cass's vision. It was a Weavile wearing a mischievous grin.

"Heh, great timing, it appears," the Weavile remarked in a strident voice. "Looks like I'll only have to fight one 'mon!" He chuckled.

"Hey!" shouted Grandpa Alfred. "I'm here too, y'know!"

"Oh? Huh?" the Weavile turned his head slightly to spot Grandpa Alfred in his peripheral vision. He shrugged and turned back to face Skyler and Cass.

"Explain!" the Weavile shouted suddenly at Cass.

"Huh?" Cass replied.

"Before now you were a Luxray, but now you're somehow a Shinx?! I would figure it was a different 'mon, but I can see where a sliced you earlier! What the heck is going on?!" Cass was just as confused as the Weavile and remained silent.

"Whatever! It doesn't matter! I'll still have that crystal! In fact, this is easier for me! Yeah!" The Weavile prepared his deadly finger blades.

Cass all of a sudden had an image painted in his head of this Weavile's claws digging into his hind leg, slashing across it, blood pouring from it. Cass could see it clearly, and he could feel the agonizing pain. It was as if a memory had been instantly placed into his head.

"The name's Peregrine, by the way," stated the Weavile. "Now, we can do this the easy way, aka just hand over the Shinx, or the hard way, aka I kill you both." Fear was struck into Cass's heart, more so than before. Wait... Peregrine had to be bluffing, right? Cass decided not to let his guard down, not that he could possibly do much either way.

Wait... Did what he said mean he was one of the "fellow henchmen" that the cloaked man referred to?

"I'M STILL HERE!" Grandpa Alfred repeated.

Vince was in deep focus. Although he would hate to admit it, he had never gotten very adept in his aura abilities. He could only sense auras, and only very faintly, rather inaccurately, and if they happened to be close enough.

He recently began trying harder to develop his aura skills, to seemingly no avail. He was about a kilometer away from his group, and he was attempting to sense them. Nothing happened.

Vince suddenly felt a rush of anger. He punched the ground in his furious rage. He took a moment to breath, his paw aching. How was he supposed to fulfill Desmond's last request and complete the ultimate goals he and Vince set for themselves like this?

The words still echoed in his head, a looming shadow of the past, to this day. "Grow stronger... for me." It was almost like a curse.

Vince felt pathetic. He had been coaching Cass and even Skyler to an extent, yet he was weak himself. _No,_ Vince thought. _I just have to concentrate and try harder. It would be what Desmond would do._

Vince returned to what he was doing. He felt like his potential abilities were an orb, just out of reach, and he was trying with all his might to reach it, extending his arm as far as possible. But they were just out of reach.

The Riolu carried on like this for long enough for him to forget the time. Suddenly, his paw brushed against the side of the orb. He could sense the three auras of his friends. However, there was an apparent forth aura. Whatever it was, it could've been bad news, especially considering the vibe of malice that emanated from it.

Vince hopped up from his sitting position and began his long dash back.

Peregrine lunged forward towards Cass. He was swiftly intercepted by Skyler, who had slammed into him with a body encompassed by fire in a Flame Charge. Peregrine grimaced and leaped to the side. However, he was now alert and understood his opponent's strength. He realized that he shouldn't hold back.

Grandpa Alfred flew at Peregrine from the side. Peregrine only noticed him at the last second, but it was enough. He extended his claws outward, shards of ice appearing around it, hovering in the air. They shot quickly at Grandpa Alfred, who gave a slight yelp as he was hit by the super-effective Ice Shard. He fell backwards onto the ground. Peregrine smirked.

He turned his attention towards Skyler, who was already emitting a stream of fire from her mouth, a Flamethrower. Peregrine ducked and narrowly avoided the attack. He grit his teeth and readied is claws before making a dash to Skyler, slamming his claws into her in a Crush Claw, causing her to wince and fall over.

Peregrine then made his way to Cass. "Listen, kid," he spoke. "I don't know what's going on, but hand over that crystal or else I'll resort to pain tactics. It's your choice." Cass considered his options. What did he even need this weird crystal for, anyway? What use was it to him? Then again, Peregrine sounded like he was planning to do something sinister with it, somehow.

Cass chose to remain silent for as long as he could to delay Peregrine while Skyler struggled back up. "Well?" Peregrine persisted intimidatingly. _Just a little bit longer,_ Cass thought. "Hmm... Guess I'll have to get you to give me it the hard way."

Peregrine smirked in a way that made Cass wish he could give him a good punch to the face. The Weavile proceeded to kick Cass over to the side and press his foot against his torso. Cass grimaced in extreme pain. Peregrine was not helping Cass's broken rib. He pushed harder and Cass let out a yell.

"It'll only be worse the more you delay this," Peregrine continued. Cass wouldn't be able to announce that he would give in even if he wanted to. "I'll give you five seconds before considering to just remove one of your limbs. One..." Cass turned his head to see Skyler. "Two..." Skyler had nearly managed to to stand back up entirely. "Three..." Skyler fell back down and winced again. "Four..." Cass peered over at Grandpa Alfred. Incapacitated. "...Five. Heh."

Time seemed to slow as Peregrine rose his claw upward, and then threw it downward, slowly approaching Cass's leg. Cass attempted to roll and dodge it, but there wouldn't be enough time. He heard a rustling in one of the bushes around the clearing.

Something happened. It took Cass a moment to register it. Vince had boosted towards Peregrine at full speed, his fist meeting the Weavile's chest in a Bullet Punch, throwing him backwards. "Sorry I'm late," Vince remarked.

With effort, Peregrine stood back up and brushed himself off. He scanned his surroundings, discovering his attacker. He dashed towards Vince, preparing another Crush Claw. However, he yelled at the pain of his back being gusted with the roaring heat of a flame. Peregrine grimaced and turned around, spotting Skyler, who had just used Fire Blast.

"Ugh..." Peregrine groaned. He decided that this wasn't worth the try. He would wait until converging with Marla Fumes. He took off without another word, jumping high to get away.

"Is everybody alright?" Vince asked to the rest of the group, a suppressed worried tone in his voice.

"I'm a bit battered, but fine," Skyler replied. Grandpa Alfred responded with a weak wave. Cass would've responded, but he was too busy moaning.

Cass rose from his bed, straightening his back. It was time for trainer school again. He had always been enthusiastic to learn more about Pokemon training, as he wished to one day become a strong Pokemon trainer.

Cass made his way towards his drawer and changed his clothes. He then found a Pokeball on top of the drawer. He picked it up and studied it. It appeared no different from usual and still contained his beloved Charmander, Lucy. He smiled. "Ready for another day?"

While at school, Cass's mind drifted to his recent encounter with Mew and... himself. He expected to find a lengendary Pokemon a long way through his journey, but there was no need. It seemed so surreal. Half of his soul had found a new home in a Shinx's body. Cass couldn't wait to talk to S again and find out more about his life. '

Cass's attention was torn from his personal thoughts when the classroom door unexpectedly opened with a creak. In the doorway stood a person around his age. He had jet-black hair, the same color as his Jacket. A gray scarf was pulled up over his mouth. Cass was confused as to why he was wearing a scarf during Spring of the Hoenn region.

"Alright class!" exclaimed Cass's teacher. "This is our new student, Damien! Please welcome him kindly!" Cass only blankly stared while the rest of the class greeted Damien. There was something off about the new student, but Cass couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.

He would find out eventually.


	7. Chapter 7

**PMD One Wish (Reboot) Chapter 7: Alone**

Yet another fruitless week was lost to inevitable somber passage of time. At least now Cass's wound had healed pretty well. Not quite average condition, but it was looking much better.

Cass stared at the ground, bearing a hopeless expression on his face. He was supposed to be a strong explorer, but yet he was always dragging behind, always in a harsh state, always being saved. When this whole explorer thing began, he was enthused and brimming with ecstasy. Now, however, he was exhausted and wondering when it would end and when he could return to his human life.

"Hey, kiddo." Grandpa Alfred's sudden voice startled Cass to the point of nearly jumping and quite possibly harming himself. He sighed.

"Don't scare me like that."

"Ohohoho, my apologies, young'un." The shock caused by Grandpa Alfred's sudden conversation starting caused Cass to snap back into reality, deciding to study his environment. It was already nighttime. Skyler and Vince had already drifted into the land of dreams. The fire in the center of the area blazed brighter than ever before, as Vince had finally learned Cross Chop through training, which he seemed to begin doing much more often. How long had Cass been lost in thought?

"So why're you looking down, boy?" Grandpa Alfred inquired.

"It's..." Cass took what seemed to him like an eternity to contemplate on how to resolve his sentence. He settled on the simplest and most ambiguous answer. "...nothing, Grandpa Alfred." However, the normally cheery Aerodactyl would not accept this answer.

"Kid... Nice try. What is it?" There was no way for Cass to escape this one.

"I just thought that explorer duty would be more fun, more enjoyable, like an wondrous adventure of a lifetime. But... It hasn't been anything close. All it has done is cause me pain."

"You've made great friends through this experience, haven't you, kiddo?" Grandpa Alfred brought up.

"I-"

"You've gotten a tad stronger, have you not?"

"But-"

"You've seen beautiful sights you never figured you'd see in your life, haven't you?" The old man sighed. "I understand how you feel, I really do." Cass felt as if a weight had dropped inside of him. He never would have expected this kind of conversation to come from Grandpa Alfred, of all people. This was not the crazy geezer Cass knew. "You've gotta lighten up, young'un. If you let your life be wasted by petty things, it'll be gone before ya know it."

Grandpa Alfred looked up into the arresting starry sky, clad with a look of longing. "Get to sleep. You need it. We all do."

Cass gladly followed Grandpa Alfred's advice and fell asleep ungracefully.

When he opened his eyes, Cass found himself in the all-too-familiar void, facing H. "What is it?" S asked. "Did you decide to have me here?"

"Well... yes. I have some things to discuss," H replied. "We have a new student. His name is Damien. Nobody even knows his last name, not even the teacher."

"Odd."

"Not only that, but he defeated all of our Pokemon in class with one attack, not even hitting very hard."

"Strange."

"He also just gives off this unsettling atmosphere whenever he's around."

"Uh-huh. Is this all you wanted to tell me about?" S didn't feel in the mood to communicate with others. However, he simply could not deny to himself that it was nice to be distracted from his reality and the pain in his rib cage. He just wished he was alone.

"Hmm..." H continued. "It's kinda strange, you know? Talking to a Pokemon?"

"I'm used to it."

"Right... Hey, how come you seem different in comparison to me, even though we're kind of the same person?"

"Experiences can shape a person. Or a Pokemon."

"Heh, heh..." H gave a nervous laugh, his hand rising to meet the back of his head. "Oh.. uh... yeah! How's life been for you so far?"

"Great," S replied. "I've already broken a bone and risked worse injury on multiple occasions. Besides that, though, all dandy." H was left in silence. It went on with not another word until the dream reality eventually faded to white and Cass opened his eyes.

Cass glanced around, dumbfounded by the fact that nobody was around the dead, cold pile off burned wood for the campfire. This had been the first time that not even a single friend of Cass's had not been in the area when he awoke.

He rose to his feet and initiated a personal search around the general area. He called out to them, to no avail. His rib ached in pain, but he pressed on to the best of his abilities. Cass eventually became agitated by the thorns he kept stumbling across. It seemed to be even more than habitual. Perhaps this section of Celestial Forest had herbage of the particularly more treacherous variety. He suddenly bumped against what felt like a prickly wall, causing him to slightly cringe.

"Huh?" Cass looked upward, a towering and menacing figure standing before him. The creature had the appearance of a Pokemon who would, if he had been large enough, stomp all over the woodland Pokemon in the area, all while laughing hysterically.

"Kekekek!" The creature let out a malicious cackle. "Looking for your friends, aren't you?" Cass remained silent. "Not so talkative, eh?" Cass didn't speak a word, for fear had been struck directly into his heart, paralyzing him. "Not that it matters, kekekek! I have your friends in my lair! I'll inform you on where it is, so listen up!" The figure was a malicious-looking Carnivine, who was now pointing to his right. "Over that way!"

Cass mustered up the courage to speak. "What are you doing with them?"

"Well, eating them, of course!" Cass was stunned once more with shock, unable to speak.

"What? Meowth got your tongue? Kekekek! I'll bet you're now wondering why I'm not taking you, and why I just revealed the location of my lair to you. Well, that would be because it's more fun this way! I enjoy seeing the hopeless despair of the friends and loved ones of my prey, the terrified expression their face, unable to act as my prey are slowly devoured, one by one! Besides, the more power a Pokemon has, the more overall tasty they generally are! Kekekek!"

"I'll..." Cass growled.

"Seven days."

"..."

"Seven days until I must eat again. Seven days until I finish the job. Come stop by before then, I want some entertainment while I eat. Kekekek!" Cass felt entirely helpless. Come to think about it, that's all he'd ever been since this whole situation started. In his own mind, he was just a useless sack of trash. He realized that now. Cass decided that he was better in his old human life. His desire to return had just increased ten-fold. At the same time, he just wanted to shrivel up and rot right there. He had no use anyway. How could he ever become a strong explorer if he was unable to even save his friends? He considered quitting this whole explorer idea right then.

No. Not without saving his friends.

The Carnivine sauntered off out of Cass's view. Cass knew what he had to do. He had to train, alone, until he was powerful enough to defeat that monster. He would have to begin learning moves, quickly.

Cass hoped and attempted to achieve some sort of move that didn't require much mobility, or else he would harm his stupid rib. Perhaps a small electricity attack or something of the sort.

This went on for a few hours, Cass ending up beaten and battered all over, panting heavily. "Why..." Cass began, "Why can't I do anything?!" With that breath, Cass quickly fell over and stared at the brilliant night sky, unable to sleep. The sky seemed much duller and less interesting then it had before.

For the first time since entering his new life as a Shinx, Cass was alone.

After a few moments of steady breaths, clearing his mind, and contemplation, Cass realized what he had to do. He pictured the Carnivine in his head. He thought hard about how cruel that monster had been, no, how cold it was.

Cass suddenly felt some energy previously unknown to him surge through his furry body. It faded away as quickly as it had originally appeared.

The Shinx concentrated even harder, thinking of nothing but the coldness of the sharp-teethed grass-type. A shiver crawled down Cass's body. _This is the time!_ Cass thought, quickly shifting his focus to his muzzle.

Back in his life as a human, Cass had heard of an old technique in which one would focus their willpower into a certain point of their bodies, allowing their brains to unlock hidden strength that is naturally held back in order to conserve energy and restrain from pushing the body to the point of harm.

Cass's current situation reminded him of this, and he figured that Pokemon moves might not be so different, as they are about unlocking a Pokemon's hidden abilities.

Cass felt the inside of his mouth cool, almost to the point of freezing. However, this did not last very long, as his concentration slipped and the feeling seeped away. He let out a great groan. He had almost had it.

After a few more tries with no success, Cass decided to take a short break and scavenge for some berries, some pain still lingering in his chest. He stumbled across a Chesto berry bush, a few Bidoof emerging from the green and snatching some. Cass attempted to communicate with them, they just stared at him, chittered and cocked their heads before scurrying off. Cass figured that some Pokemon species were less intelligent than others and were not fit for a society. That would explain why the Temporal Village's school's food selection included some Pokemon.

Cass found himself staring emptily at the area around where he saw the Bidoof scamper about, and realized that he could be getting to work. He quickly obtained some berries and ate them, his exhaustion dissipating, before returning to work.

It had been four more hours of no luck. _Three more tries and then I'll rest,_ Cass convinced himself. The first attempt passed, Cass reaching only the part where he caused energy to run through him, sighing when it left him in a matter of two seconds. He focused harder for the second try, making it to the point of where his mouth went cold, but he soon lost it. This time, Cass groaned.

 _One last try,_ Cass thought. First, he felt energy begin to generate in his body once more. It was then concentrated to his muzzle, followed by his teeth. _Yes!_ Thought Cass to himself. _This is the furthest I've ever made it!_ He felt his teeth drop to freezing temperatures. And then... nothing. It all went away. Cass let out the loudest sigh he had ever made before collapsing once more, sideways.

He would never be a powerful explorer. He would never be a competent explorer. He just wanted to go home.

After a rest, Cass continued his efforts. However, he found himself trying less and less. _I could really use a motivational Shinx picture,_ Cass finally chuckled, reminiscing of his human life. The thought brought him humor for a brief moment before Cass remembered the dire situation he was in. He felt the weight fall back onto his shoulders as he looked downward.

It was afternoon of day three, and Cass still couldn't even use a single move. He figured that he would never be able to defeat the Carnivine, but feebly attempted to train nonetheless. Fortunately, by now, the pain in his chest had been reduced to a minor nuisance.

 _Thunk._ Cass was met by a sharp pain in his side, sliding sideways a bit. He grimaced before turning to find his attacker. It was a rather irate Scyther. "Look, bub!" The Scyther began. "It's migrating season again, and this is my territory!" Cass was beginning to hate green things.

"Did you hear me, bub?" The Scyther received only a stare that didn't even appear to be focused unto him. "Bub! Move or Imma slash you!" Cass could not oblige, for he could have lost track of his friends' location. The Scyther charged towards Cass, splitting the wind.

 _Now,_ thought Cass.

The Scyther screeched in pain as he felt the chilly fangs sink into his wing. He quickly shook it off, though still wincing slightly and yelled. He was soon accompanied by two other Scyther at either side. They swooped down, each taking hold of one of Cass's forelegs with the flat of their blades and holding him in the air in front of the first Scyther, who began inching closer. "For this," the Scyther said angrily, "You will pay!"

He swung his arm-blade with mighty force. The Bug and Flying type was stupefied when his blade didn't complete it's journey, only to go numb and stopped in it's tracks. Upon closer examination, it hang been held in place by Cass's fang and was now gathering ice crystals. A crack could be heard and the Scyther's eyes widened.

The Scyther pulled his arm back, which was now numb and unusable, dangling at his side and the blade now bore a crack.

Cass had been training to learn this move, Ice Fang, in particular because he knew it's potential effectiveness against the Carnivine. Test one proved positive.

Cass slipped from the other two Scyther's blades as they were in shock and unable to comprehend the current scenario. He fell to the ground with a slight recoil. "What are you standing around for?!" The injured Scyther shouted furiously. "Eliminate this fool!"

The two Scyther slashed out towards Cass's direction, but he managed to dodge the attack. Well, most of it. One of the edges managed to slightly graze his side, but Cass had no time for pain. He leaped and used Ice Fang on the first green leg he could find, which happened to be of the one who hit him. The Scyther yelled out.

"Ugh, what a one-trick Ponyta!" the first Scyther Cass had seen yelled. "Do you even have any other moves?!" Cass ignored this and proceeded to incapacitate the remaining Scyther with Ice Fang, dodging a blade in the process.

Cass suddenly heard a sound similar to that of the Scythers' flying, but much greater in the distance, approaching him. He realized that the rest of the hoard was coming. About a month ago, Cass would've stood his ground and attempted to fight. That wasn't him now. Not anymore. He made a run for it.

While sprinting and panting, the small Shinx struggled to keep direction, remember the direction of his friends' location. He felt his puny legs grow weak. His chest ached once more. He felt like someone had punched him in the gut because he was running away from a fight when he had been so ambitious about becoming a strong explorer. Was this even a realistic goal?

Cass eventually came to a stop, his eyes widening. Before him, in a narrow opening, was something he would've never expected from this "Hikage" region: rusty train tracks.

Skyler, Vince, and Grandpa Alfred stood tied up against separate trees by Grass Knot. Each of them winced slightly as their energy was slowly absorbed into the Carnivine. They were told that upon retaliation, they would be severely punished. Grandpa Alfred was cheerfully humming in a quiet manner. Nothing ever seemed to get that geezer down.

Vince knew it was risky, but he had to try it. He attempted to will the pain of absorption away and clear his mind. He focused on the energy of his environment, as well as focused on his paw.

Nothing was happening. His attempts were futile.

"Oh? Kekekek!" The demon had noticed what Vince was doing. Vince felt the Grass Knot around him tighten even further than it previously was. He turned to Skyler, who had also apparently deciphered what was going on. She sent him a look that communicated "Don't push yourself." Vince would've sighed, but he preferred to hold as much air as possible.

After a few days, the Carnivine announced that he had decided to take a short rest. Vince waited about twenty minutes to make sure he was actually asleep, and not just intentionally tempting them to try something and catch them. Vince finally came to the conclusion that the Carnivine was asleep and took the risk.

A small blue sphere of energy began to slowly generate. It didn't get far, but it was progress. He turned to Skyler, and they exchanged looks of determination.


	8. Chapter 8

**PMD One Wish Chapter 8 (Reboot): Mist and Distortion**

The life-pervaded Hikage region contained five villages: Temporal, Spacial, Knowledge, Emotion, and Willpower. The villages were divided primarily by the Celestial Forest, a large forest spanning throughout quite a large portion of the region, most notably in the center. Crossing through the Celestial Forest was a rail road known as the Link Railroad. This railroad could lead you from any of the five diverse villages to another with trains powered by multiple Machamp and sometimes Machoke, spinning the wheels at a pace close to the speed at which they can punch, resulting with a train speeding across the region.

A train was currently making it's way towards the Temporal Village, the one passenger carrying with him an urgent message to report to Meganium, one that could not be expressed through a simple letter.

It was Albin, the head of the Willpower Village. He sought to bring the news that officials from his village, and apparently those of the the Knowledge Village-according to their leader-had been mysteriously slaughtered. He wished to get to the bottom of this with one of the most powerful villages, and the Spacial Village had recently become more hostile. Perhaps they were preparing for a war. This would also certainly be a bit of information worth sharing.

The Tauros tapped his feet against the ground. He was becoming anxious. What if they couldn't resolve this issue? _No. I must stay strong, or else I betray my village's ideals,_ Albin told himself while the muffled soft sound of a light shower from outside could be heard.

All of a sudden, he heard a door in the compartment behind him slide open with a metallic creak. It wasn't as loud from where Albin was standing, but the ominous sound still made his heart start beating audibly. Nobody was supposed to have entered the train. Nobody should've even been able to enter the train.

Albin knew something was certainly wrong when he heard a splattering sound and the train began to gradually halt and the sound was followed by the screech of the wheels against the railroad. The splatter was again repeated along with a thud, Albin's vehicle of transportation reaching a full stop.

The bull-like Pokemon switched to a stance where he could be prepared for battle. Whatever had entered the train, he would take it out. What he hadn't been prepared for, however, were the shadows seeping out of the compartment door through it's cracks. The darkness soon shrouded the entire room. Fear crept up Albin's spine and his eyes widened.

Time slowed. The village leader saw a giant toothy grin come from seemingly nothing but the darkness. It spoke: "Fear Team Mist. The revolution will soon take place." Albin trembled, attempting but failing miserably to hold his composure. He nearly broke down by the thought that he was betraying his village. If he were to die here, he thought, his village would be better off, a new leader taking his place whom could live up to his village's standards. No, exceed them.

 _Splat._ The wall of the train was painted a shade of sickening red as the village leader fell.

"Looks like we finally meet again," Peregrine yawned over the gentle sound of the rain, his head resting in his arms.

"Don't act so casual. Do know that I could swiftly dispose of you at any given moment. Right here. Right now. It is in your best interest to do as I say and take me as your new master," The piercing voice of a particularly immoral Combusken asserted.

"Somebody's a bit too confident. It'll be your downfall, eventually." In a flash of a moment, Peregrine had a set of claws pointed directly at his neck. His eye twitched.

"Fine, you have me beat." Marla slowly lowered her claws, still showing an aggressive facial expression. "So what's the grand plan, almighty master?"

"First thing's first," The powerful fire bird started, "We kill those pests of explorers." Peregrine wished badly to comment on how it was such a "master plan," but he was afraid of Marla, whether he wanted to admit it or not. Instead, he settled on an alternative remark.

"I don't think they're explorers anymore, they aren't wearing scarves." He found himself at the judgement of the claws once more.

"Do you think I care? For what reason would you make such a statement other than spite towards me?"

Peregrine had to find a way out of this one, something to say in order to pacify this merciless, prideful beast. He realized that he would have to give in. "My apologies, Master Marla. It won't happen again."

"You're right it won't happen again. Now, let's eliminate those intolerable nuisances."

The Weavile gulped.

The raindrops pitter-pattered over the rust-covered tracks. _It's time,_ Cass thought. He had but half a day to spare. He began his way toward the location of the Carnivine. Of his friends.

Cass had regained much confidence since last he ran from the herd of Scyther. Not fully, but he was doing much better. He cautiously avoided the prickly vines and vegetation that seemed to gradually increase as he inched closer and closer towards the Carnivine's lair.

He thought about his training. Was it enough? He had mastered the ability to use Ice Fang instantly, at will. Sure, it was super-effective, but was it enough? Cass shook his head. Not because he thought otherwise, but because he realized that he could be aided by his friends. They might have even escaped already, and been out looking for him. This thought haunted the Shinx as he marched onward. What if he would get nothing out of this? What if he was just heading directly toward injury, even demise?

Cass quickly dismissed that tangent of thought. He had to focus on the task at hand. He had almost reached his destination. When he finally arrived, He saw the Carnivine standing, facing the opposite direction of him in front of a plant that somehow resembled a cave. Vince, Skyler, and Grandpa Alfred sat in front of the eerily etiolated cave-like plant structure, restrained by uncomfortable-appearing vines.

Skyler and Vince's eyes widened at the sight of Cass, who no longer looked like a little kitten in distress. The plant devil turned around. Cass had at that moment lost his chance at an admittedly dishonorable but neccesary ambush. "Kekekek! So you actually came! I was just discussing with your friends on if I should just devour them already or not. Seems like it won't be the case!" Cass could see Vince grit his teeth.

"It won't ever be the case," Cass retorted coldly. What were also cold were his sharp fangs, swiftly lowering in temperature and preparing to strike. The Carnivine wasn't phased. _Wait..._ Cass thought. _Is he really not even going to prepare for my attack? He's showing no signs of getting ready to dodge or block my attack... Is he really fast? Will my attack even do much? Is he accepting his fate? There has to be some reason he isn't preparing!_

Cass had to make a decision. He peered around the Carnivine to find Skyler had escaped her prison, it lay charred on the earthy ground. _This may hurt a bit,_ she mouthed to Vince, who responded with a nod.

"What are you waiting for?" The Carnivine grinned. "Attack me!"

Time slowed as Vince leaped towards the Carnivine, his paw held out, a brilliant blue orb in front of it. However, before he could reach him, A thorny vine rose from the dirt. It slammed against Vince's belly, causing him to wince in pain before it through him backward.

"Aw, that trap was meant for your little Shinx friend! Now you b lew the surprise! Ah, well. You remember what I told you a week back, do you not?" The Carnivine's grin grew across his face. "If you show retaliation..." Leaves around Vince's legs began to be carried by a new breeze, rising from the ground. The breeze soon became a miniature violent gale, and the leaves hardened to the level of steel, smacking Vince in all directions. "Kekekek, try to escape my Leaf Tornado, I defy you. Time for the final stage of my invincibility!"

The Carnivine's green and red roots sank into the ground, firmly placed. "With Ingrain, I will slowly regain my energy and health whenever you manage to attack me, whether or not that'll actually happen! Come at me and you'll be trounced by my thorny Power Whip from beneath! Try to strike me with a ranged move, and I'll counter it with a Mud Slap and return the favor by stretching one of my vines to reach you! Kekekek! Kekekek!"

Cass had never faced a greater challenge up until this point. He panted and grasped the ground underneath his front paws. He ran through a series of scenarios in his head, but each of them resulted in his brutal failure. After all this training, it would all be in vain.

As Cass contemplated his options, Vince struggled with the Leaf Tornado. There was no use in attempting to dodge the leaves whizzing past and at him. After suffering much battering, Vince finally came to a conclusion. He extended his paw and slowly summoned forth an Aura Sphere. He aimed it towards the ground. The Riolu had not yet learned how to make it into a projectile, but he could make it work. He proceeded to jump and land on his paw that held the sphere, it exploding and launching him into the air and above the tornado. Vince landed on his feet in front of the tornado. He had escaped.

"Carnivine, you truly are a fool." Vince's words shocked Cass. Didn't the Carnivine have the upper hand? "Your master plan has three fatal flaws."

"Why, you! What could you possibly mean?" The Carnivine interrupted, his voice not so steady.

"First: You were bluffing about having Mud Slap. You have already displayed the use of Leech Seed, Power Whip, Ingrain, and Leaf Tornado. You can have a maximum of only four moves. Therefore, Skyler could attack and decimate you at any moment."

"You... Prey..."

"Second: You have confined yourself temporarily to one specific spot through Ingrain, and will be unable to move for some time. Cass, Skyler, Let's just get out of here and continue our mission." Skyler had at this point freed Grandpa Alfred, and the group was reassembling at a certain spot.

"Third: You underestimated your opponents," Vince continued as he walked. "You thought them to be weak, unintelligent, and inept. Honestly, I expected more from you. For you to put up a better fight. If you had done the same, you would be the victorious one." Cass had a dumbfounded expression across his face. Skyler took notice.

"That's Vince for you," Skyler chuckled.

"HEY! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE LIKE THAT!" the carnivine boomed in frustration. "YOU'RE NOT EVEN GOING TO TRY TO KILL ME? WEAKLINGS! COWARDS! I'M HUNGRY!" The group ignored him, except for a few chuckles from Skyler and Grandpa Alfred. "ONE DAY, I WILL MEET YOU AGAIN, AND I WILL NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES! YOU HEAR THAT? I WILL MAKE YOU MY FOOD, WHETHER YOU TASTE GOOD OR NOT!"

When they were a good distance away, Cass's keen sense of hearing picked up the rustling of leaves from the area around the Carnivine's area. He stopped and turned around. Vince and Skyler must've noticed as well, because they also turned around to watch. Grandpa Alfred happily marched and and hummed onward, unaware that the other three had stopped.

"Hey, Bub!" A familiar voice rang out. Out from the shadow the trees exited many Scyther, their leader in front. "So you're the one who caused all these obnoxious vines and plants in our territory!" he shouted. "You must pay the price!" Cass nearly smiled as Scyther charged the Carnivine all at once. He could only take down so many with Power Whip at once. The monster that had now been reduced to an angry child throwing a tantrum had eventually fell, many Scyther gathering over him.

Cass and his friends turned around to catch up with Grandpa Alfred. Once they had, Vince began to lead the way as they navigated through the vast forest. Once Cass realized where he had been lead to, he was surprised. He now stood before the same railroad that he had discovered earlier. "Wait..." Cass began. "Why did you bring us here, specifically?"

"Is that really a question?" Vince replied. "It should be obvious, but I'll explain it nevertheless. This was the area in which our original goal was to reach, then camp here. However, we ran into some complications, forcing us to be patient. This was the originally intended location because it would be easy to suspect Marla to be a wild Pokemon, not belonging to any particular village. What is the easiest way to not get lost in a deep forest such as this one?"

"Um..." Then it dawned upon Cass. "To stay near this railroad."

Vince nodded. "Correct. But it's not quite that easy. We have to always be on alert because Marla wouldn't get _too_ close to the tracks, lest she risk being caught by a passing train. Luckily, we are at a part where it is not as often that trains come through, thus increasing our chance to encounter that witch at an earlier time." _Wow,_ Cass thought to himself. _Vince really thought this through, and it's really elaborate. Perhaps Skyler was absolutely correct._

"Now." Vince's sudden voice startled Cass. "After a decent sleep, we will resume our training. The only difference will be that we will be mutually training each other." Cass was now glad that the pain in his chest was practically nonexistent. Without much more conversation, the quartet of Pokemon fell asleep once more.

When Cass awoke, he was met with the blaring light of the sun, a jarring contrast to the weather of the previous day. His fur was still a little wet, indicating that a short storm had likely taken place within the time he was asleep. He remembered back to something he would see certain Pokemon do back home. He felt as if mimicking it would cause him to lose a shard of his already shattered humanity, but he would have to suck it up. It wasn't likely he would become human again anytime soon, anyway. Cass shook his torso left and right, droplets flying off of him.

He turned to find that Vince was watching him in a position with one leg at a kneel and the other entirely on the ground. Cass was overwhelmed with internal embarrassment, but Vince hadn't reacted at all. "Let's go," he said.

Once the two were in a new clearing, the training began. "We will take turns attacking," Vince explained. "The other will attempt to either dodge or block the incoming attack. You may go first." Cass almost wanted to request a full-on battle spar, but he was aware that he would most certainly fizzle, so he accepted the already-established training activity.

The Electric-type focused on his muzzle, then his fangs. Soon, his mouth was filled with frigid air and he charged towards Vince. He found it mildly difficult to focus on Vince while maintaining his Ice Fang, so it unfortunately petered out before he reached his target. Cass slowed and Vince easily avoided the attack.

"My turn," Vince announced. He held out his paw and drew it back. Cass at this point realized that his opponent could easily go for Bullet Punch and end it right there. Luckily, this was not the case and the Riolu ran at Cass with what he recognized as Force Palm. However, Vince was still much faster than Cass could handle. He attempted sidestep at the last moment, but it wasn't swift enough, for Vince had already slammed him with Force Palm. Surprisingly, the Shinx felt almost nothing in comparison to when he first entered this life, and he would be perfectly ready to continue. It seemed as though Vince's training had actually paid off.

Before it was Cass's turn once more, he had devised a plan. It would take a while, bu he figured it was doable. He ran towards Vince, concentrating not on coldness within his mouth, but on the empty space to his right. This so-far proved unsuccessful and he was easily dodged by Vince. Vince took his turn, once again landing his hit.

Cass was up again. He again focused on the area to his right. He imagined himself being in that location. He could've sworn he noticed something there, but perhaps it was just his mind. Vince simply knocked him away with his arm. "What exactly are you doing?" He asked.

"Secret. Your turn." The training continued for hours longer.

It had been quite a while, and the two Pokemon, especially Cass, were beginning to get worn out and exhausted. Cass zipped at Vince again, focusing on being at the space to his right and not where he actually was. He attempted to feel the ground beside him, to see through his eyes as if he were in that spot. He welled with excitement as noticed another... him drift out of him and to his right, into the spot Cass had concentrated on. He repeated the process to his left. The young Pokemon had learned Double Team.

Cass and his copies ducked separate ways into the bushes and trees, leaving Vince alert from all directions. He expected Vince to predict that he would use a clone first to run at him and act as a diversion. Vince would turn around to try to stop him from attacking from behind, ignoring the clone.

The Shinx thought around this and charged with his real self first towards Vince. To his surprise, however, he was met by an uppercut from Vince. "W-what?!" he called.

"This wasn't very difficult to deduce," Vince explained. "You just now learned this move while we were training, did you not? I figure this because you weren't using Ice Fang, which had shown to had had earlier. I acted surprised so that you wouldn't catch on to me accepting this as a possibility, and preparing for it."

"Um... yeah."

"That's really not the point, though. You just learned this move, meaning you have not mastered it. The Cass that attacked me would have to be the real one because you aren't skilled enough to maintain Double Team copies without even being able to see them, let alone imagine seeing through their eyes the entire time."

"Oh."

The next day, Vince was the first to awaken. He heard a rustle in the bushes around him. Then it could be heard from another nearby area. Vince jumped to his feet, prepared for whatever was about to come at him. Except he wasn't.

"Missed me?" before him stood the vile criminal who had taken everything away from him and haunted his nights. She wore a typical condescending expression.

Vince's face and body tensed with rage, sadness, pain, and regret all at once.


	9. Chapter 9

**PMD One Wish (Reboot) Chapter 9: Vince's Curse**

It was an average cozy day in the comfort of Vince's Grandpa's house. Vince sat cross-legged on the familiar red chair. It was evening, and Vince could see the beautiful colors of an unusual sky through the window. His Grandpa, the kind Lucario, was making stew in the other room, its wonderful aroma traveling to Vince. He could hardly wait to vacuum it down.

"What's this outside?" Vince inquired. White danced in the sky. There was an opening in the clouds, revealing the figure of the moon, which slightly illuminated the otherwise dark dusk. The white slowly descended to the ground, where heaps of it lay.

"Why, that's snow!" Vince's grandpa chuckled. Vince stared in awe.

Vince and his grandfather lived in a small but cozy cottage in the Celestial Forest. They spent their time playing and telling stories. Vince's grandpa was an excellent cook, often making food that that of only a genius could possibly muster.

Spending time with his grandfather often fortunately distracted Vince from the horrors of his earlier life, not that he could remember much. However, he could still picture his parents on the ground, their eyes wide. "Grow stronger... for me," his mother had said. "For us."

"Soup is rea-" the bowl held by the Lucario's hand as he entered the room slipped, crashing on the floor. The soup and all of it's ingredients spilled onto the floor. He had seen through the window. Vince turned his attention to the window after noticing that his grandpa's had. Outside were a posse of intimidating Pokemon, including a Muk, a Gliscor, and a Pinsir.

"Go." The old Lucario muttered solemnly.

"Huh?" The young Riolu replied, confused.

"Go! Leave! Make your way for the Temporal Village and seek safe residence! Take the door through the back!"

"What is going on?!"

Vince's grandfather turned to him, seemingly half with happiness and half with sadness. Vince knew the expression all too well. "Leave, it's for your own good." And with that final word, Vince's grandpa exited through the door and began walking to confront the strange visitors.

Vince refused to be left in the dark. He gazed out the window as footprints were left in the snow as his grandfather's inched closer.

It wasn't until later in life that Vince would discover that his grandfather was actually a highly skilled warrior revered by the Temporal Village. He was widely known as the "Steele Bullet." His last name was Steele, as inherited by Vince. He had absolutely mastered the move of Bullet Punch. In fact, he would swiftly dispose of any opponents before they even realized what had happened with one quick Bullet Punch. Nobody could even view him using it due to the sheer speed. He would at one moment be in a starting stance, the next moment behind the enemy, them falling a second after.

And yet, he denied the societal pressure to become an explorer. In his words, it was low. How can you respect somebody who works only through incentives, rather than assist others on their own volition, away from rewards other than the satisfaction and gratitude of the receiver of the service?

He was eventually offered the position of Temporal Guard, which he gladly accepted. He made a contribution to the high image of the Temporal Village, as no intruders entered while he on the job. They never even stood a chance. Not one for running past him nor defeating him in combat.

The former Steele Bullet eventually retired and took care of Vince, never receiving a significant challenge. Until now.

He marched up to the mysterious visitor's and they began exchanging words. Vince was unable to hear what they were saying, but his grandfather looked tense. Eventually, a fight broke out. The Muk threw his fist forward, a glob of his mass hurdling towards the skilled Lucario, who swiftly dodged it. His eyes locked onto the Pinsir. In a quick flash, shorter than the blink of an eye, his fist was in front of the Pinsir's face. But the Pinsir too had his arm out. A wall that had the appearance of glass had formed in front of it, blocking the Bullet Punch. He had used Protect. Vince's face lit up in surprise. That of his grandfather didn't change.

The Lucario turned, making the mistake of catching eyes with the the Muk, who's eye shimmered and shined for a moment. He had used disable, making him unable to use Bullet Punch for some time. The Glisor slashed at Vince's grandfather with a poisoned claw, his target managing to dodge his attack. Vince's grandpa had to think quickly. What would he do?

He put his paws into a position in which they faced each other, a luminescent sphere appearing rather quickly in between them. His attackers all charged him at once, knowing that he would only be able to hit one of them. What they were not expecting, however, was for their target to split the energy sphere into three smaller ones, sending them at each of them. The old Lucario was more skilled than anticipated. They were unable to avoid them, as Aura Sphere could not miss. The Pinsir got a face full of dirt and snow. The Gliscor was knocked out of the air and came tumbling to the cold surface, bouncing up and down. The Muk exploded across the ground. It would take a moment for him to reform.

Vince's grandfather was immediately above the Gliscor, where he thrust his paw down in a swift Cross Chop. The Gliscor coughed up some blood and was smashed into the ground, pushing through the snow and leaving cracks in the ground. The veteran turned to the Muk, preparing to launch his next attack.

What he was not expecting, however, was to be slammed from behind with the Pinsir's horns. He was rammed forward, forcing him through the snow, wincing. The Gliscor arose, wiping his mouth. He caught on to what was happening. He quickly flew over to the Pinsir and Lucario, pinching Vince's grandpa's arms with his pincers. The Lucario grimaced hard in pain, some blood now running down his arms. He told himself to think. What could he do? That's it!

The snow under him began melting, flames emerging. He swung the Blaze Kick at the Gliscor's torso, knocking him away. He then threw his hand at the Pinsir, dealing super-effective damage and bashed his target through the snow, who placed his hand on the ground to regain his balance.

Vince's grandfather looked up to the sight of a powerful and heavy Gunk Shot. It was too late to dodge, so they made collision. He was sent flying back through his own house, falling onto the floor. Vince was trembling. His grandfather turned his eyes to meet Vince's. "I..." He began in a weak voice. "I told you to leave. Please, act quickly." He heard the sounds of his enemies gathering and gradually reaching his position. "I believe in you, Vince." Tears streamed down the young Riolu's face like a rushing river.

"No..." He began shaking his head at the battered Lucario he had come to love for a long time.

"Grow stronger... for me."

The Pinsir entered first, grabbing Vince's grandfather by the shoulder and slamming him into the wall. He proceeded by headbutting, smashing his horns into the wall on either side of the Lucario, causing him to be unable to escape. The two other Pokemon followed.

Vince scurried into the kitchen, peering around the wall. He decided he couldn't bare to watch, and he would be foolish to attempt to act upon the battle. One more final tear cascaded down Vince's face as he lifted his leg paw to begin his departure.

The exhausted and bruised little Riolu trekked through the seemingly endless forest, attempting to arrive at the Temporal Village. No such luck thus far, and he had been traveling for days. Thoughts started to get to his head. _What if I'm suddenly attacked by bandits? Or strong wild Pokemon?_

He stopped when he saw something in the distance, mostly hidden, moving. He inched closer and discovered that it was a nice green. Vince took cautious steps forward. What he found was a young Ralts, about his age, but maybe a little younger. It turned its head around at Vince, its eyes widening in surprise, and possibly fear.

It turned away and started to flee, tripping over a vine. Tears streamed down his face. Vince's eyes widened themselves a little. He rushed towards the Ralts and knelt down beside him. "Who are you? Do you have a home?" The Ralts solemnly shook his head. "Don't worry. I don't either. Not now, at least." The Ralts stopped crying, one last tear descending down his face. Vince smiled a little.

"What's your name?" The Riolu inquired.

"D-Desmond." The Ralts replied.

"Why are you crying?" Vince asked. Desmond stared for a moment, then answered.

"I don't know what's going on... Some big Pokemon, a Luxray, I think... He... My sister... She..." He burst out sobbing again.

"Don't worry about it, you don't have to tell me. I'm Vince. You should travel with me, I'm searching for the Temporal Village." Vince held out his paw. Desmond took it. "Some people told me that I should grow stronger." Vince looked downward. Then he lifted his head back up. "We should grow stronger together." Desmond rose back up with the aid of Vince's paw.

Desmond then shot Vince a gaze of determination and wonder, no sadness left on his face. "We'll become the strongest in the world," He asserted.

"Hm."

Vince and Marla stared into each other's eyes, both with or near murderous intent, the difference being one was smirking. The Weavile that had put Vince's friends in danger recently had appeared from the darkness, now standing by Marla's side. But he seemed off. Instead of a condescending or murderous expression, he wore that almost of fear or concern.

Skyler was the next to stir and awaken, followed by Grandpa Alfred. Vince heard them call to him. "Alfred, carry Cass to a distance away. Skyler, follow him," he ordered, not moving his head. They simply nodded.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'll pursue your bratty friends," Peregrine stated, almost shaking and grinning at the same time, like he was trying to stay calm and strong. Vince didn't pay him any attention. His eyes were locked onto Marla's, as well as his focus.

"Looks like it's just us left," Marla said, her smirk growing further.

It had been about a week since Desmond and Vince had met. "Desmond?!" Vince shouted, racing through the forest. He simply could not find him wherever he went, and he had been searching for about fifteen minutes. Where could he be? "No, no, no, no, no!" Vince crumpled to the floor and pounded his fist.

"Looking for somebody?" A figure dropped from a tree branch, hanging vertically upside-down. In its arms was Desmond, who he carefully lowered to the ground.

"Vince!" Desmond shouted. "There you are! This nice man took me to you!" He turned around. "Thank you, sir!" Vince could no see that the figure was a Greninja, his eyes arched in a happy, welcoming expression.

"Haha, you don't have to think me. I'm Ace, by the way. You boys have anywhere else to go?"

"No," the two shook their heads simultaneously. "But we trying to find the Temporal Village," Vince continued.

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Ace said happily. "You can come to my place, and you'll be safe and make lots of friends!" Vince and Desmond turned to each other. They smiled brightly.

"It's a deal," Vince agreed.

A playful little Ralts dashed out the door of a small home, a Riolu following. The reckless Ralts wore his scarf even then. It was his pride and joy, after all, Unlike his teammates, he refused to ever take it off. When the Riolu reached the door, a voice caught him off guard, causing him to stumble at the exit. "Vince!" a Fennnekin called. "Where are you going?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary, Skyler," the Riolu replied with the roll of his eyes. "Desmond and I are going to battle again."

"Alright, just don't hurt yourselves!" And with that, Vince shut the door and made his way to the entrance, or in this case exit, of the village. He was met by the familiar faces of Bob and George, the two Bisharp guards.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?! It's dangerous out there!" George shouted. Bob groaned.

"George, he comes through here nearly every day, with that Ralts, Desmond. In fact, his friend just now passed by us, and you yelled at him too," Bob reminded George. Vince ignored their banter and kept moving towards his destination, the open fields just outside the village. Those fields were always perfect for practice, playing, and training. Vince even knew a pleasant spot that was rarely visited by anybody but he and Desmond.

He eventually reached the place and found Desmond sitting there. He yawned. "Wow, it sure took you a while."

"Skyler stopped me."

"I've heard that one a million times."

Vince playfully hit Desmond. "Oh, so that's how it is," Desmond reacted. "Is this tag, now?" He hit Vince back and began running away. Vince promptly pursued him. When he had originally found Desmond helpless in the forest, the young Ralts could hardly even walk. Yet now, his speed at least matched his.

After some time, they had traveled a good deal of the fields. They were at this point both huffing. Desmond was a decent amount ahead of Vince when he suddenly turned around, flashing a suspicious grin. "I've got you now," he said before suddenly disappearing from sight.

Vince fell to his knees. "Teleport..." he muttered. "He's learned Teleport... That little... Ugh, he's bested me this time, for sure." Vince turned back and headed towards the space in which they had started, assuming that'd be where Desmond was. After little time, he discovered that his hypothesis was correct. _Wow. He must've been training for at least a moon whenever I was asleep._

"Well played," Vince said, panting as he arrived.

"We do want to become the strongest Pokemon in the world, don't we?" Desmond brought up, a glimmer in his eyes as he spoke, his tiny fist clenched in front of him. "Speaking of which, let's get to the point and fight already!"

Vince thrust his paw into Desmond's torso, who retorted by using Psychic to lift Vince into the sky and slam him into the ground a few meters away. Despite his age, he had already been decently adept at his psychic abilities. Vince rose and shook it off. He had a little trick up his sleeve, and figured he would use it now to get back at Desmond for his trick. He had never actually used the move on a Pokemon before, so he put forth full effort in to pull it off.

He managed to slam into Desmond, his energy instantly drained as he did so. It wasn't all for not, however, as Desmond fell to the ground with him, panting. He had used Final Gambit.

"Nice... move," Desmond complimented.

"I could say the same for you, earlier." The two young Pokemon lay there, head to head for an eternity, staring up into the sky and watching the clouds drift by, seemingly mimicking the passage of time itself. They eventually closed their eyes and welcomed their dreams.

Vince jolted awake. At first, all he could sense was the blazing heat of fire around him. He rose and his eyes widened. What had happened? Vince wasn't so much worried about the fire, but more so the fact that Desmond was nowhere in sight. His head turned and his eyes searched frantically.

Then he found him.

Desmond was lying on the scorched ground, lifting himself up slightly by his stubby hands, an unknown figure cowering over him, shadows cast over it's eyes, its face revealing only a slight smirk. "Pathetic," the figure spoke. "You are supposed to be the one? What an awful decision. Perhaps I'll just end you and be finished here." Desmond coughed.

"You don't get it..." The Ralts coughed once more. "I'm gonna be the strongest Pokemon... out there." He lost his breath as he was hacked in the stomach by the figure, a large kick dealt. He fell over.

Vince could now make out that the figure was that of a Combusken. "You... you big jerk!" Vince shouted with intense anger as he lifted himself up, stumbling and bounding towards the monster. It calmly lifted up its claws in a flat position, facing Vince, and extended its arm. A small flame fumed in front of the claws. It then suddenly erupted into a brilliant inferno and blasted towards Vince. It was too large and swift to evade, the inept explorer-in-training receiving a forceful blow. "My name is Marla Fumes," the Combusken asserted. "Remember it."

The Riolu fell, beginning to loose conscience. "Grow stronger... for me," he heard Desmond say weakly. The last thing he saw before blacking out was the monster's claws thrust into Desmond, blood spurting.

He woke up in a hospital emergency room. His eyes slowly drifted open, catching only the blurry color pink, before closing once more. Then they opened again, the blurriness clearing. In front of his was a close, almost intruding, face of a Sylveon. "Are you alright? Awake?"

"Huh? Yes." Then Vince regained his recent memory, and his eyes shot fully open. His quickly lifted his torso, soon regretting it as the pain shot through his body and he fell back down, his head landing in a soft white pillow. He was breathing heavily.

"Don't strain yourself, you idiot!" The Sylveon harshly shouted. "...Sorry."

"Desmond. Where is Desmond?" Vince interrogated.

"Oh. Your Ralts friend?" The nurse looked downward, wearing a downcast expression. "Come on in. I know you are out there. I'll allow a visitor, just this once." She turned her head to the door. It slowly crept open, a depressed-looking Skyler making her way glumly towards Vince's bed. In her mouth she carried something Vince couldn't quite identify until it was close enough. When Skyler finally reached Vince, she lifted it up to Vince's clear vision. It was a bloodied scarf. Tears streamed down Skyler's eyes as Vince's expression morphed into a grotesque mixture of shock and despair.

"The killer has been imprisoned," The Sylveon said quietly. "They couldn't find the body. This is all that's left."

A stare-down had begun. Vince gazed directly into Marla's merciless eyes. The Combusken's egotistical smirk only grew with time, at this point practically all the way across her face. The two stood there, unwavering.

"You're the reason I ended up in prison. You and your friends. If I had just been alone, you wouldn't have yelled so loud and alerted the guards and your little friend, the Fennekin, wouldn't have arrived to the scene. Looks like I've finally found you once more. I'll finally end you and all of your traveling buddies," Marla said smugly. Vince continued to look onward.

"What's the matter? Are you giving me the silent treatment? Meowth's got your tongue?" Marla sneered. It failed in invoking a response. "Why, you..."

Time slowed as Marla made her first move, drawing her claws back and running toward Vince. He lifted both paws forward. A sphere of energy appeared in front of them, a good deal larger than he had previously made it. The whole time while he was staring, he had actually been building up aura in his paws, charging his attack.

Marla ran directly into the sphere, being blasted with a direct it. She flew back into the woods and her back crashed against a tree, her head facing down. Her face slowly rose, revealing that her smug expression had morphed into that of rage.


End file.
